


To All Things; An End

by CallistaGseran



Series: The Sith Duology [1]
Category: Star Wars Legends - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Family Drama, Family Feels, Jedi, Mandalorian, Mandalorian Culture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-08
Updated: 2019-12-09
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:41:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 97,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21714745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CallistaGseran/pseuds/CallistaGseran
Summary: Events are heating up in the Galaxy, with the new knowledge that an old enemy is behind it while a hero returns from the grave. Fighting a war on two fronts, the New Republic and the Jedi must act quickly to return peace. Co-authored with: Steffan Karrde,  Myk-Ron Dinn, Ainar Algeron, and Xan Qenadius.
Relationships: Arie Dinn/Myk-ron Dinn, Callista Gseran/Xan Qenadius, Steffan Karrde/Jade Karrde
Series: The Sith Duology [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1565119
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Star Wars and associated material contained within works produced or published by LucasFilm Ltd., or its subsidiaries remains the sole property, copyright, and trademark of said entities. No profit is being made from this work. All characters contained within this work are original (with the exception of appearances by some canon characters), and remain the intellectual property of their originating writers.
> 
> The Cataani people and all related information is the brainchild of Steffan Karrde. All original characters used are used with the permission of their originating writer.
> 
> Mando'a language © Karen Traviss and LFL.  
> Star Wars © LFL.

_ **Calbrea system** _

Tahms was pacing back and forth along _Ororko's_ bridge, taking the occasion to look out the forward viewport at the planet's surface.

_Somewhere...._

He'd been careful about retreating from the Enduron system and with backtracking back to the planet on Reinhart's orders to recover the protype. But that mission ended in failure, the mobile suit was already missing. He had already sent the report off to Reinhart and knew that the man wouldn't like the response. But something was tugging at the back of his mind, and he couldn't place it. But who was after him right now, the Republic or Cataani....or Karrde?

He couldn't shake the feeling ever since Steffan Karrde had boarded his ship back in the Hoth system. He was present when _Blue Talon_ entered in its first combat with the pirates that he had joined up with. Tahms was in command of the crew that handled the first mobile suit and it still devastated him to see Kapp destroy it after the duel between his suit and _Blue Talon_. It was something he kept inside all these years.

And if the search for him and his three ships involved the Cataani, it would certainly involve Karrde.

"Any traces yet?" he finally asked his Quarren crewman on the scanners.

"No, sir, and I don't expect to find any," Queluss said as he sighed, but kept his attention on the scans. "With the Empire's cloaking shield, all you had to do to detect it was noticed when something would disappear behind it. In some cases, you could pick up the thermal traces on the engines...and most of the other cloaking shields some of the other powers have are the same. But the Cataani have got it just about as perfect as it can get. No emissions, no residual traces, nothing...and they can track us clearly through it visually and with their sensors. If they're out there, we're not going to know it until they decide to let us."

"Just keep looking," Tahms said as he looked back out the viewport. "Find a way."

* * *

_**C.S.S**_ **.** _ **Kure**_ _ **Cataani**_ _ **H'kana**_ _ **-**_ _ **class Bird of Prey**_ _  
  
_"He's gone to active scanning," Captain Johnathan Rightman heard off to his right.

"Again?" his executive officer asked as he stood at the same station. "That's the fourth time in 30 minutes. You'd think the captain was bored."

"Or being extremely cautious," Rightman said softly as he leaned back in the captain's chair. "Tactical, make sure our cloak is still running smoothly."

Rightman knew it was an unnecessary command, as his ship's cloaking system was programmed to run self-diagnostics often. _Kure_ was state-of-the-art, a joint venture between Cataan's shipbuilding industry and the New Republic. She and her sister ships, which included the New Republic's _Knight Caller_ , were originally designed for recon and special-ops but eventually turned into a multi-tool of a ship.

She was, basically, an elliptical disk with her engines housed in extensions a third of the way from the rear. Her size was larger than the old Corellian Action IV series but smaller than a _Karrack_ -class cruiser, but faster and more maneuverable than any crewed ship in the galaxy. Only snubfighters could outdo her. And her armor and shields made her hard to damage if they were hit.

Her stealth systems and cloaking device were a more advanced version derived from Nib Cadre's designs. _Kure_ was able to enter and exit from hyperspace completely undetected. Designed to deploy special operation teams and perform electronic and visual surveillance as well as hold a flight of fighters for special ops, she could operate without notice.

If threatened, her weapon systems could hold an old Imperial Star Destroyer at bay. In that regard, the designer turned to Steffan Karrde….and _Blue Talon_. _Kure_ 's main batteries were derived from the mobile suit's main weapon. Powered down, but still powerful enough to punch through capitol ship grade shields with a magazine of proton torpedos and baranium torpedos to augment it.

Everything powered by two power cores that generated enough energy that one could easily support the entire ship if the other failed. It all came at a heavy cost in design and construction, resulting in only a few ships in the class, but well worth the costs.

"Kuroda," Rightman said as he looked over at his scanning officer. "Keep tabs on those three. We need to know when they move."

"Aye, sir."

"Signals," he said as he looked over to the next station. "Contact _Valkyrie_ and let Captain Payne know that we've located the group."

* * *

Ainar shut down the offensive systems and transferred all power to the hyperdrive, he wanted out of here, and back to Cataan where they would be safe. He keyed in a secure channel over to Arie's ship."Everyone alright?"

" _We're fine over here Ainar, thanks. We owe you,_ " Arie responded after a few seconds.

"The ship took some damage, but we'll make it back to Cataan just as long as we don't run into more people who want to take a shot at us. We're going to take one more look around Enduron. Get those holos sent to Maxell and come back for us at 1900 hours."

"Don't jinx it Master, I'll take care of you. The _Viking_ is still in one piece," he said, patting the controls.

"We'll get this sample of yours back to Cataan, then we'll decide what to do with it." Arie answered him. _Cataan will have to do. My labs have been compromised on Coruscant_. Arie thought bitterly, and the thought of leaving Kate alone hurt Ainar more than he cared to admit over the comm.

"Ainar....she will be alright, she's strong," Arie said, picking up on Ainar's thoughts.

"Didn't I tell you some time ago to stay out of my mind?" he said laughing.

“Hey, I can't help it if you're lovesick Ainar, and it's normal to be worried under these circ.....” Arie's air left her lungs as both ships shuddered violently as they were pulled out of hyperspace.

Alarms blared in his cockpit, signaling incoming vessels. And one big one.

"Oh no...not again, why do I _always_ run into interdictor!" he yelled, slamming the panel infront of him.

"Arie...Arie, can you hear me?" He only received static, they were jamming his transmissions. "Sithspawn!". The computer showed incoming fighters on a intercept course for his ship and Arie's.

"She can't hold out against this.." He brought his sublight engines to the maximum and powered up his weapon systems. XJ's filled his screen, acquiring target locks on him and within seconds proton torpedoes raced for the _Viking_.

Ainar took evasive maneuvers, bringing the ship into a stomach-lurching move and evading most of the shots, but 3 hit their mark, sparks ignited all over the cockpit as the shields started to fail. He bit his lower lip and saw Arie's transport flying past, evading shots, and answering back with laser fire, but mostly she was on the receiving end of the fight.

 _Ainar, we need to get this sample out of here, that's what counts! Get those holos to Maxell!_ he heard Arie yell through the Force, or that was his brain's comprehension of the feelings and images she sent.

 _Oh, don't worry Master. You'll get out of here soon,_ he sent back, sending her an image of her ship escaping to hyperspace.

 _You're forgetting that interdictor Ainar, we'll never be able to take it out_. Arie sent back.

Ainar swallowed hard, then went back to targeting a fighter and firing back. "Leave that to me. Once more ol' girl" he said, stroking the bulkhead as he laid in a new course. Straight for the interdictor's gravity well generator. "Computer! All power to front shields and sublight engines.” The ship lurched as the power was transferred, moving the ship dangerously fast, towards the large ship.

"I have a bad feeling about this," he said locking the course in and then he ran into the back, straight for the escape pod. He reached the pod and jumped in, sealed it behind him and slammed it shut. The world spun as the small vessel spun out of control, leaving the _Viking_ on a ramming course with the Interdictor. He watched as his ship raced through space, the X-wings all trying to stop it, a fire erupted and explosions rocked the ship, but it kept going.

_3....2.....1...._

The light blinded him as the ship crashed into the large Interdictor, a chain reaction of explosions followed and tendrils of fire and smoke erupted from all over the ship.

_Ainar! We're coming to pick you up you crazy nerfherder!_

Ainar tried to steady himself in the pod, and glanced at the readings. They were too far away, they would never get to him in time, their ship was barely functional.

_Negative! You don't have the time, and you know it! I'll live, I'll get out of this, and meet you back on Cataan when I can...just now, GO!_

Ainar could feel Arie's hesitation, but she was a military officer, and she knew what she had to do.

The transport jumped to hyperspace before the fighters caught up with them. _Force be with you, my friend. We'll see you at 1900 tonight on Enduron_. Ainar sighed as he felt a tractor beam lock on to him.

"Blast."

* * *

"Come on, Chris," Jade said as she set down two plates of a light lunch on the counter for her and Chris Tien Jinn. "You've been staring at that datapad for a long time now."

Chris smiled and set it down as she looked over what Jade had prepared and smiled up at her host. "I've only tried Cataani cuisine once or twice...here each time, and never enjoyed anything better."

"Sometimes the best things are the simple ones," Jade said as she poured them both a glass of water. "And I kept it very simple today. I can't stand what some of the galactic 'elite' charge and pay for stuff that isn't half as good as what comes out of my kitchen."

That got a laugh out of Chris Tien as she scrolled down to look over some things on her pad.

"Stop that," Jade said, pointing her fork over. "Just enjoy the meal."

"Yes, mi'lady," and Chris chuckled again. "How long did Steffan say he was going to be out?"

"He said he was going to ride to Adan...I hope he knows that Jameson was going to ride there to meet him."

"Ah," Chris said as she took a bite of her meal. "How are things with Andrea and Edward."

"Happier than I've ever seen them," Jade said as she leaned back slightly. "They're going down for the festival, I think Ryneas went with them to enjoy the music."

"And Dilan?"

"Settling in with his duties on Calbrea."

* * *

**Calbrea**

_I'll have to send mother some of this fruit and let her try it_ , the youth thought as he paid the shopkeeper of one of the local fruit stands and walked down taking a bite of his small meal. A bit sweeter than what he was used to on Cataan, but good.

Dilan Karrde had gotten his post helping the local watchman, a Twi'leck that had become a Jedi Knight only a few years before him, so they were good friends. It hadn't taken him long to figure his way around and had eventually taken to getting several articles of the local clothing to help blend in and make people more comfortable with having several Jedi around. His robes he kept as his residence for when he needed to attend in an 'official' role.

 _I remember Valin talking how his great-great-grandfather from the Clone Wars would do the same thing on Corellia_ , he thought as he walked down the street. _And his wife always referring to it as his 'hunting clothes'_. He looked up at the rising sun. It looks _like to be a good day_.

* * *

"How many?" Tahms asked as he looked down at Calbrea from orbit.

"Still two shuttles on the surface," his exec told him from the lower deck. "Captain, you're sure giving everyone a case of the nerves."

"If they've seen what I've seen, they'd feel the same," Tahms said. "Contact them again. We need to pull out as fast as we can."

* * *

"Sir," a junior officer saluted after she handed Maxell the latest search report.

" _Valkyrie_ 's battlegroup has them spotted at Calbrea," he said to Colonel Turner as he handed him the dispatch.

"Damn, those Cataani don't waste any time when it comes to a hard target search," Turner said as he looked up at the galactic map in the situation room. "Payne made direct contact?"

"They've got one of their new hunters in the system and picked them up," Maxwell said as he pulled up the list of the ships in Matther Payne's Second Fleet. "The _Kure_ , one of their _H'kana_ -class birds-of-prey."

"Nice," Turner said as he looked over the postion of the closest New Republic group. "We can get _Harkness_ and her escort into position. Any word from the General yet?"

"No word since they left Bothawui."

* * *

**Cataan – Karrde home**

"Steffan, Are you still awake?" Jade asked as she came into the study with her nightgown and an overcloak on.

"I couldn't sleep just yet, so I decided to do some late reading, honey," Steffan said with a smile as he put down his book. "What's wrong?"

"There's a call that came in. I thought you'd want to get it."

"Okay," he said as he keyed the comm unit built into his desk computer. "O'dura Odan...well, this is a surprise."

"I'm sorry to disturb you, my friend," the Ishi-tib Jedi said on the other end of the transmission. "But it is important. The young Jedi that was supposed to arrive here in the Tanaab system never arrived. I'm concerned, Steffan."

"How long ago was he supposed to have arrived?" Steffan asked as he leaned forward in his chair.

"He should've been here a few days ago, but I've not seen him or felt his presence here. His name was Falk."

 _Falk? Missing?_ The news was something that chilled the Cataani Jedi Master when he heard it. "I'll see what I can track down, O'dura."

"Thank you. I'll contact you later."

"I've seen that look before," Jade said as she walked around his desk while he was terminating the transmission. "What's wrong, Steffan."

"Falk....was Welt's younger brother," Steffan said softly. "Went through the academy about the same time that Dilan started his training. We assigned him to help Odan as a watchman...he's disappeared."

"Oh gods," Jade said softly.

* * *

Ainar woke up in a cold cell, the after-effects of the....stun grenade, yes that's what it was. A stun grenade shot into the escape pod.

Ainar jumped to his feet, and his eyes scanned the room, his senses stretching forward and his hand dropped to his lightsaber.

"Well at least they were smart," he said to himself as he tried his pockets, all empty. His hands reached for his necklace, the one with his wife's picture. "Oh no they didn't....." He tried to look around for some kind of a weapon, there was a bench, made out of duracrete...nothing handy. There wasn't a door anywhere, just a gray cell.

Ainar extended his right hand and summoned the Force, a tingling sensation rushed through his hands, up his arms, and into his very being. A ball of glowing white formed in front of him, he started shaking, the awesome power engulfing him. Then it stopped. Ainar blinked his eyes in surprise. "What?"

Someone or something somehow took the Force power away from him...his senses were lost, he couldn't tap into the current.

"Who are you?" he yelled at no one in particular.

"Don't you remember me, old friend?" a voice boomed from a hidden speaker.

Ainar spun around, ready in a self-defense stance. But there was no one there."Well, I've met a lot of people.." Ainar responded, trying to tap into the Force again, but without success.

"Don't even bother. I've cut you off, Jedi.."

"No one has that power over a Jedi Master....you.." Ainar smiled and laughed, "you brought in Ysalamiri didn't you?"

No answer.

"Yes, that's it isn't it, trying to frighten me with your awesome power, I didn't give you Bothan's enough credit!" Ainar said as he sat down and relaxed.

The voice laughed over the speakers, a dark, chilling laugh.

"You're not Bothan are you?" Ainar asked, feeling a bit nervous all of a sudden.

"No."

Ainar looked up and saw a man standing there and a door open in the wall, guards on either side.

It took a moment for the face to register, he had changed over the years..

Ainar's eyes widened in shock, and his hand dropped to his lightsaber again...which still wasn't there.

  
"Bane....."

Two powerful sets of arms took hold of him and pulled him back against the wall as the Dark Lord walked into the room, moving his hood off of his head. "Yessss," he hissed out as he outstretched his hand and regarded the man's face. "Still the same Ainar I remember...stubborn as ever. Heh...you and Karrde were so much alike."

"What do you want, Sith?" Ainar said as he tried to fight against the grip of the two who held him.

"At the moment, your attention," Bane said as he showed an evil smile. "Which I will have right now because you're going to deliver a message for me after I'm done with you." He nodded to the two warriors that held him at bay. "Take him."

* * *

**Cataan – Karrde home**

Chris Tien Jinn walked through the woods outside of Steffan's home, reaching the entrance to an old monastery on Mt. Adan. Going through the arched doorways, she felt the energy of the old stone buildings here. She could tell why Steffan had chosen this place to begin an idea of his to open a new training hall here in the monastery. She found him in one of the courtyards of the grounds. Stones were placed in patterns in the grass and as she looked at the pattern, she could tell it was the same as was in Steffan's training circle at his home, what was known on Cataan and the _master's wheel_...it was used for the basis of Cataani fighting style.

And at the moment, Steffan was in the center of the circle, going through a combination of slow and quick motions and strikes with a staff in his hands. He was only in his trousers and boots with his inner kimono on as he continued the kata, eyes closed.

She watched the moves and nodded with the energy he was drawing as he practiced. Steffan was considered by many to be one of the more accomplished martialists of the Order. Not something he boasted on or took pride in, but kept it tempered with his training as a Jedi.  
  
Steffan stopped his kata and held the final pose, his eyes still closed. "Any news, Chris?"

"There are no records," Chris Tien said as she handed over the datapad.

Steffan set down the staff and toweled off his head before he took it and looked it over. "No sign of him showing up at all on Tanaab. And we can't spare the people to check the other stops. Spast!"

"I don't know what could've happened," Chris Tien said as Steffan handed her the pad back and started to put his outer robes back on. "But we're still trying to reorganize here and on Chandrilla after Arie's warning for the Jedi to evacuate Coruscant. With Karle'yla pushing his sentiment against us in the Senate, we really didn't have much of a choice but to relocate all of our resources. But there is something I'm finding hard to imagine in this, though."

"What's that?" Steffan asked as he picked up the staff and started walking back towards the house.

"If Falk had died, we would've felt his passing. But in meditation last night, I couldn't even feel his presence in the Force....as if someone was blocking him, in a way."

He paused in his tracks and thought over that. "Blocking access of the Force, other than using a ysalamiri, is a technique that only few among us can master."

"What are you saying, Steffan?"

"We've all noticed through the years that the numbers of the Sith have been growing because of the many encounters we've been having," Steffan said as he thought about it. "They are no longer staying to the principle of only two, master and apprentice. I'm wondering...if there's more to this that we're not seeing yet. What if they're massing?"

* * *

"Amrond..."

"Yes, my master," the Sith warrior said as he bowed before the image of his master.

"How goes your search?"

"I have convinced the boy to my tutelage," Amrond said quietly. "He has begun to understand the reasonings of his brother. I believe he will be a most valuable asset."

"Then bring him here to continue with the others," Bane said as he looked at his warrior. "Plans to transfer the captured mobile suit to the Bothans are about to proceed....and we will release our captured quarry when you return."

"By your command, my master."


	2. Chapter 2

Ainar moaned as he opened his eyes, his whole body ached from the beating those two goonies put him through earlier. Without the aid of the Force, he was completely defenseless, his martial arts were of no use when two thugs attacked you in a closed space. He rose up on his elbows and took a deep breath, which stung as his broken ribs cut into his lungs. "Blasted Sithspawn!.”

His lips were swollen, and he felt the blood on his face, now hardened. His robes were stained with sweat and blood. He stood up and removed his outer tunic. _How the heck was he going to get out of this one?_ He tried drawing on the Force but nothing happened, somehow either by some Darkside art...or ysalamiri...he was hoping for the second. If Bane has grown powerful enough to block someone's use of the Force, there was no Jedi that could stop him.

Ainar remembered hearing about the Jedi of the Old Republic, that selected members of the Council back then knew a technique to strip someone of the Force, something to do with killing the midichlorians, or stopping their ability to communicate with their host. He was afraid to find out what else Bane had learned, but there was an upside to this....if Ainar couldn't feel the Force, then Bane couldn't either infiltrate Ainar's mind with the Force.

He needed a plan, he needed to escape. His grip on his tunic tightened as he looked around the room again, for some kind of a weapon. But still, the only thing in the room was the bench, built out from the wall. The bench...he walked over to it and went down on one knee, there was a leg holding it up, also made out of duracrete. If only he could break it from under the bench...but how?

He tried to hit it with the butt of his palm and squinted in pain. No, not like that. There was no way to even budge the thing, duracrete was built to last. He stood up again and walked over to the far wall and leaned on it, sighing heavily. He felt like a lab rat. He loosened his grip on the tunic in his hand and it almost fell out of his hand, before he strengthened his grip on it again. "I've gotta go with what I've got," he said to himself as he started winding the tunic into a makeshift rope.

He remembered where the door was supposed to be and he walked over to it and started banging the door. "Hey you....I need to use the 'fresher!"nHe banged the door repeatedly until a hiss could be heard and the door swung open and a large human stood there with a blaster, pointed right at him.

"Don't make any sudden moves, Jedi."

Ainar eyed him sarcastically, then with a snap hurled the tunic in the direction of the blaster, hurling it out of the man's hand and a blaster bolt went off, shattering the ceiling. Ainar snapped the tunic back with his right, slapping the man in the face, and grabbed the blaster with his left, leveling it at the man, the look of shock on his face bringing a grin to Ainar's face.

He switched the blaster to stun and shot the guard, his limp form falling to the floor. Ainar took off with the newly earned blaster and headed down the hallway, meeting a trio of guards sitting at a table and stunned them all before they even saw him. "Who needs the Force anyway."He entered a small security office on the end of the hall and looked around, computer screens lined the walls, security cameras, readouts of all sorts......security camera showing Bane talking to someone via hyperspace, he couldn't make out the form though.

Ainar walked over to the correct panel and adjusted the volume so he could hear what they were saying”....bring him here to continue with the others, plans to transfer the captured mobile suit to the Bothans are about to proceed....and we will release our captured quarry when you return."

"By your command, my master." the other form responded. Then all went dark again, and the last thing Ainar saw was the angry look of a dark-haired Bothan standing over him with blaster.

* * *

_ **CSS Valkyrie** _

  
"Status report?" Captain Mather Payne asked as he walked into _Valkyrie'_ s bridge.

" _Kure_ is holding station near the group," his exec said from the navigational plot at the rear of the room. _Kure_ 's position along with the three ships under Tahms' command in the Calbrea system. "She's been giving us constant updates, but Tahms seems to be keeping his ships together for the moment."

Payne nodded slightly as he looked over the board. He had already figured his battlegroup's route into the system to get the jump on Tahms. "Have we heard from the New Republic group yet?"

"The commander of the detachment from Third Fleet is on position on the opposite side of the system from our location," the exec told him as he pointed it out. "It'll just take a microjump for both our groups to be in position and take them."

"Flight Ops?"

"I've got Blackhawk and Scimitar Squadrons standing by." his flight controller called from his console.

"Tactical?"

"All batteries manned and ready, all tubes loaded and armed," his tactical officer called from the station. "Shields are ready to be brought up on a moment's notice."

"Very well," Payne said as he looked across the bridge through one of the forward viewports.

"Signal _Kure_ to assume battle stations. Feed coordinates to the helm and prepare for the jump."

* * *

"Colonel, Major...I think you better see this."

Maxell walked over to the station and looked over it. "Jeff, _Valkyrie_ is prepping for the takedown."

"Is Harkness in position yet?" Turner asked as he read the dispatch.

"The plan was for our group to act as back-up," Maxell said to him. "The Cataani have the advantage of not having to keep forces patrolling the entire New Republic. So Payne was able to bring in his entire battlegroup in for this search."

"Alright, advise our people for standby action."

"Something doesn't feel right," Thams said softly as he looked from left to right out of the forward viewports. "Exec, signal the other ships to defensive pattern A and call battle stations. Its too quiet...and I know they're coming."

"Aye, sir."

"And where the _spast_ are those crews that were on the surface?"

* * *

"Come on, babe?" Dilan heard as he rounded the corner and saw four men hassling a young lady. Another that looked like a guardian was trying to interfere, and that was when he noticed blasters being drawn.

The lady started crouching and for Dilan, the rest was instinct as he started running for the group....his hand close to his lightsaber.

* * *

"Captain," Kure's tactical officer called out as he started bringing up a new scanning grid. "Better take a look at this."

"What do you got, Larron?" Rightman asked as he leaned against the console.

"Change in position, Cap," Larron said as he enhanced the grid. "They've gone from single line to a triangular configuration with Ororko at the point. Wait...their shields just went up and weapons coming online."

"Hangars?"

"They haven't launched anything yet. But even if they have some of those labor suits onboard, modified for combat or not, our weapons will be able to take them out easy."

"Signals, I need you to get ahold of _Valkyrie_ and update them."

"No can do, sir," the comm technician said from his station. "We just got word from them that they were about to jump."

"That means they just did," the exec said from where he was standing.

"Battle stations," Rightman said as he went back to the command chair. "Tactical, lets get ready to strike the nearest ship if they decide to make a fight out of it."

* * *

Kate paced the room in their apartment back on Coruscant as she waited for her line to connect. The Karrde's were quite difficult to reach. She placed her hand on her stomach and smiled, it was starting to show. She better buy some new clothes soon. Then the line cut in and the lovely face of Lady Jade appeared on the screen smiling. _"Kate, darling. How are you?"_

Kate took a seat by the unit, "I'm fine, my Lady, I'm just a bit worried that's all.”

Jade grinned at that statement, _"The price we pay for marrying Jedi."_

Kate smiled, but she couldn't but feel that something was wrong. "I know, the odd hours, cuts and bruises.” She smiled back at Jade. "But one thing Ainar does, is check in....the only times he doesn't is when he's undercover, and from what I heard, he was going for a quick mission with Arie....and I can't reach her, either."

Jade listened intently and nodded, _"Well now that you mention it, we haven't received any word from General Dinn either....Steffan is in town right now, but I'll ask him when he returns, is that alright sweety?"_

Kate nodded, "Thank you, my lady."

_"And Kate...don't worry, I bet he's totally fine."_

* * *

"Sithspawn...." Ainar growled as he opened his eyes and rubbed the back of his head with his hand. He was back in his cell, alone. So much for that plan....

 _"I knew someone once, quite as stubborn as you are, Master Algeron.”_ Bane's voice said annoyingly over the comm system. _"You remind me of Master Karrde, you know that....always sticking your noses in where they don't belong!”_

"I'm sorry to be of an inconvenience to you Bane!" Ainar called, smiling again. "My allegiance is to the New Republic, to the Jedi Order! So don't act so surprised that we're standing up against people like you"

_"People like me? Oh, Master Algeron....you've never met anyone quite like me."_

* * *

  
"How long ago?" Steffan asked after Jade talked to him in the living room about Kate's call.

"For a few days," Jade told him. "And the feeling I got from Kate is the same as when I used to worry about you on some of your more dangerous missions."

"And I would've heard back from him too," Steffan said softly as he walked around the couch. "I hate having to break Ryneas and Catharine's trip to Kingston, but I may have to go out."

"I know," Jade said softly. "But I'm leaving it to you to tell them, you owe them that." Steffan smiled and nodded as she went to see what the two were up to while he went into his study and activated his comm system.

 _"Operations,"_ the New Republic officer announced on the other end.

"This is Jedi Master Steffan Karrde," Steffan told the man. "I need to speak with Major Maxell."

_"Sir, he's in the situation room at the...."_

"Son, I know he's busy with the search," Steffan interrupted. "This is just as important a matter. So, if you please."

_"Yes sir."_

Steffan waited a few moments, watching the holding image until Maxell's image came up.

 _"You sure have a way with my junior officers, Master Karrde,"_ He said, getting a slight smile from Steffan. _"What's the matter?"_

"Major, do you have Arie's last flight plan on file for her return trip?"

 _"No, since it was classified, she didn't file it,"_ Maxell said, suddenly putting the pieces together. _"And she's not reported in yet either."_

"Master Algeron is missing as well," Steffan said as he thought about it. "And I'm sensing something sinister at work."

 _"Unfortunately, I don't have anything available in the way of resource to divert for a search, Steffan,"_ the major told him.

"I understand. I'll start a search with _Blue Talon_ then," Steffan told him as he thanked him and cut the channel.

_Well, better tell the children that I'm not going to be able to go with them on that trip._

* * *

Bane sat in his chair on the observation deck, watching the swirling mass of hyperspace. The dark side surrounded him as he bathed in the power of the Force, looking through time and space, through the tides of the Force...

_He saw a planet, brown and green against the blackness of space, and he saw swarms of black and white fighting, like a war of good and evil....then some, some symbol...eerily blue with a silver core stepped into the middle of the symbolic war and things grew bright as all the pieces fell into place again, the war was over..._

Bane opened his eyes and smiled, "So there you're going, my old friend.” He punched in a few commands on his armrest and a few minutes passed until the form of Amrond appeared in front of him.

"What is it, my Master?"

Bane stood up and paced, "I have just seen a vision in the Force, it showed me where we're heading next..."

Amrond nodded his hands behind his back in a gesture of submission. "Where is that, my Master?

"The Calbrea system, it's the perfect spot to let our little friend go and start the next phase of our plan," Bane added as he sat down again and leaned back.

"Why Calbrea?" Amrond asked, tilting his head like a bantha.

Bane grinned and leaned forward, gripping the chair's arms and digging his nails into the rare Alderaanian wood. "Steffan Karrde will be arriving there"

* * *

Ainar awoke with a startling explosion as the ship rocked, he jumped to his feet in an instant and braced himself against the wall. _What's going on..._

The door to his cell slid open and a large Bothan entered, leveling a blaster at him. "Come with me, we're transferring you to another cell. Master Bane feels you are too valuable to die here"

Ainar raised an eyebrow and looked at him. "Die? What's going on, furball?"

"Radiation leak, faulty generator....now come on before your hair falls out, Jedi scum," the Bothan said waving the blaster in the direction of the door.

Ainar nodded and drew his cloak around him as he walked towards the door, and into the hall, the guard behind him. _Only one guard?_ He walked slowly down the hall and glanced back, the dark-haired Bothan was still there with the blaster pointed at his back. As they reached a corner, Ainar ran past it, and as the little furbag came after him, kicked the blaster from his hand and knocked him out with a left-hand blow.

He picked up the blaster and looked around suspiciously....then he took off, no logic in wasting a good opportunity. He sprinted down the hall and into a lift at the end, he had do get out of here now.

As the lift descended towards the shuttle, Ainar felt the wind knocked out of him and he fell to his knees as the Force returned to him. He stood up again and smiled, it was like a reunion with a long lost friend. He felt hot and cold at the same time, as every fiber of his being tingled.

The lift stopped and Ainar ran out with the aid of the Force, appearing like a blur past the guards and workers, blaster fire erupted after him, all exploding on the walls behind him, but he slowed down as he reached the corner. It wasn't any good exhausting oneself. Ainar looked around the shuttlebay, no one was around. _This is too easy....damn him._

He ran towards the nearest snubfigter and jumped into the nearest one, closed the hatch and fired it up. Just in time before the guards arrived, firing madly at the fighter, which shields deflected all blaster bolts. _Like I said, too easy...I bet the bay doors aren't sealed either._ He pushed the button to open the bay doors for departure, the doors slid open and revealed a planet rotating in space and the scanners in the Z-95 revealed it to be Calbrea.

He took off and soared into space, firing his aft lasers blindly incase of someone was following him, but not a single fighter followed, only few ill aimed laser shots. _Come on Bane.....you think I'm simple?_ He started for atmospheric entry and guided the fighter towards the planet. There was a reason Bane let him escape onto Calbrea, and he needed to find out what it was. But for now, he needed to get into hiding and make sure Bane wasn't following him.

He tried to think back to the latest situation reports, did he know anyone stationed here....ahh, ofcourse. Ainar smiled and stretched out with his feelings for the young boy......his presence shone brightly in the Force, much like his father's. He could contact Steffan as soon as he had a secure channel, and Dilan could help him.

"Sirs we've got updates from Calbrea," the senior technician said as he started plotting new positions on the tactical map. "There's been an engagement."   
  
Maxell was the first to hear it and walked up to the table and looked over the situation. "What happened?"

* * *

" _Ororko_ initiated a new formation just after _Valkyrie_ made their micro-jump," the tech said as he finished with the new plots. " _Kure_ was already prepared to make a strafing run if they started anything. She decloaked and bore down on the rearward ship just as Payne's group made it in the system. Tahm's third ship is out of the fight, reporting heavy damage to their shield generators and engines from Kure's attack. Its holding postion, but the other two have retreated to the other side of the planet. Tahms will be able to tell when Payne slingshots around the orbit."

"Damnit," Maxell said as he looked over the plot. "Where's Harkness?"

The tech punched in a few commands and a point was highlighted at the other side of the system and

Maxell ran the calculations in his head. "Okay, they can come in on that side, but Tahms is already going to be ready for a fight. Spast, just what we needed. We wanted to overpower and hopefully, get him without firing a shot."

"How was Tahms able to anticipate Valkyrie coming into the system for him," Turner was asking as he looked over the current positions. 

"He wasn't," Maxell said as he looked over the situation while recalling Steffan Karrde's and Arie's reports on the captain from back in the Hoth system. "Karrde said he started to sense a beginning of paranoia and felt it stronger in Tahms on Enduron. He's probably been worried about a strike for some time. And I think that gives me an idea on how to diffuse this." 

* * *

Steffan settled back into the pilot's seat as _Blue Talon_ kept traveling towards his next destination on auto. With the mobile suit settled into its shroud, it would pass as a civilian stock freighter instead of the image that had become parallel to trouble for anyone who was on the wrong side. He's already checked a few systems along the route he thought Arie and Ainar might have taken to get from Enduron to Coruscant in the shortest amount of time possible. Each time, there were no traces. I'm running out of possibilities here.

He reached the next system on the route and before he could even hail the locale spaceport, he comm panel was lighting up with a signal from Coruscant. _What in...._

 _"I apologize for the interruption, Master Karrde,"_ Major Maxell said after a crisp salute. _"I know you're looking for the General, but we've got a delicate situation come up. And you're the closest one in the area that could possibly negotiate it."_

"You found Tahms?" Steffan asked as he noticed a data linkup coming from Maxell.

"Payne's battlegroup engaged them in the Calbrea system, and we're down to a standstill right now. Master Karrde, I've got no people nearby that can possible talk to him and convince him to stand down. After looking over what you wrote about the man, I feel that you might be the best to talk him down without any further action."

"I understand the message," Steffan said softly as he entered the coordinates. "I'm getting underway now."

_"Thank you, Master Jedi."_

* * *

"Are you alright, mi'lady?" Dilan asked as he laid a cool cloth on the girl's forehead. It had been a hectic moment, taking down the men that were attacking her without killing them. His father, Steffan, had taught him the importance of having a powered down 'stun' setting on his lightsaber and it came in handy. With her guard in the care of the local medics, he took it upon himself to see about her.   
  
For some reason unknown, it was what the Force told him. 

"Ohhh," she said as she started opening her eyes. "What happened?"

"A couple of low-lifes wanted some attention from you," Dilan said softly as he helped her up. "When they took down your guardian, I decided that enough was enough."

"Where am...?"

"My quarters on Calbrea."

She looked around the room and Dilan could sense the sudden feeling from her. Walking down the street one moment, waking in a stranger's home the next. "How can I trust you then?" she asked, testing for an answer.

"You may trust me," he said softly. "I've got some fresher clothing in the refresher if you need to change."

"Thank you."

* * *

**Enduron - Just after nightfall**

"Hold." Arie's breathed tightly, her left hand in a fist raised to shoulder height, signaling the 4-man Special Forces unit behind her to freeze in their tracks. A blaster rifle was in her right hand, butt against her hip, trigger finger on the ready. She lifted a pair of night-vision holobinocculars to her eyes and surveyed the clearing in front of her. A large transmission tower rose out of the thick underbush and treetops in the distance. Lowering the night-visions from her face, her eyes adjusted from the luminescent green to the pitch-black of the jungle.

"General, I think we are in signal range. Transport's hyperdrive is shot, the core is leaking, but I think we can bounce a signal off our signal plates to that tower over there and out into space." the unit's 1st sergeant informed her.

"Good, get a microburst out to Ainar. It's not like him to not respond to my mental messages....He was supposed to pick us up an hour ago." Arie replied, her face turning in the pale moonlight, revealing camouflage face paint so that only the whites of her eyes glistened in the moonlight drifting between the jungle trees.

"Will do, General." the 1st Sergeant replied.

"And get one sent to Maxell. He will want to know if I am alive." Arie whispered after him. He nodded in reply. Arie turned to the other 3 men, also in camouflage and face paint, rifles in hand. "Drop your gear, set up a picket line...we make camp here." Arie informed the small band of elite military soldiers. She turned back to the signal tower that had been designated as the rendezvous point.

After the attack in Bothan space earlier, she and her team had broken from the ambush and made space tracks for Enduron to further her inspection of the illegal arms dealing that was occurring between Bothwui and Enduron. She had sent Ainar in his ship to transfer micro-holofilm to Maxell...holos of what was being built on Bothwui illegally....but he had sacrificed his ship to save her and her team and she had left him drifting in open space...She only hoped he had made it, gotten another transport and was on his way to Enduron to pick her and her men up.

Crouching in the bushy leaves and weeds, her rifle kept near her, she broke out a ration bar and began to eat. She pulled the metal sample from her vest pocket and flipped it around in her hand, viewing it from all sides. It was a new type of metal, stronger than titanium. It looked to her as if it were a combination of Twin Tiron Pulp alloy mixed with titanium, steel, and a fourth metal she didn't recognize.

Whatever it is, it's damn near indestructible. She thought to herself. She put the metal shard back into her vest pocket for safe keeping. _Where the hell are you, Ainar?_ she thought to herself as she settled in for a long night until Maxell would send a ship for her team. 

* * *

Ainar rode the lift to the 34th floor and stepped out, the night felt warm and still, but something felt really wrong to him, like a sensation of aggression in the Force hanging over his head. He walked to the door at the end of the hall and stopped for a moment and let his senses extend forward, there were two people in the room....no aggression. He knocked on the door and waited.

The door opened slowly with a creek and a familiar face peaked out, then broke into a smile before pulling the door open. "Master! What in the Force are you doing here?"

Ainar smiled at the boy and entered the spartan room behind him. "Oh, I was in the neighborhood, decided to drop in."

Dilan scurried around, picking up datapads and offering Ainar a seat on the sofa.

"I need to contact your father actually, we have important matters to discuss"

Dilan nodded, "Of course Master, I'll try to reach him for you, until then help yourself to anything at all, I have food and....." his voice faided out as a scarcely clad woman stepped out of the 'fresher, covered only by a towel.

The young woman froze in her steps and Ainar looked up at Dilan smiling and quickly said the first thing that came to mind, "Don't let me interrupt."

Dilan seemed to turn red, "No...no, it's not, no I'm just letting her clean up, she was attacked. I was close...saving her was the only course."

The woman stood there, quite unsure as to what was happening. Especially with a new stranger in the room and only a towel covering her. 

Ainar stood up and looked at them both, "Well, for now, I suggest your lady friend get dressed and then we'll discuss this attack you mentioned further. Have you reported this to the Jedi Council or the local authorities?"

Ainar could feel the sudden feel of awe coming from the woman when he mentioned the Jedi, and saw her eyeing young Dilan in a way he remembered his wife doing years back, and grinned.

"No Master, we just arrived here moments ago. I was going to file the report after I'd seen to it that she was alright."

Ainar sat back down and without realizing it started playing with his beard, a nervous habit. "Don't contact anyone yet, something doesn't quit feel right about any of this...."

Dilan looked at him quizzically, "Any of what, Master?"

Ainar snapped back to it, "I'll explain later, now if your friend here is done, I'd like to use the refresher if I may, I'm afraid that after a week in that cell, I'm not so fresh as I'd like."

The young woman smiled sheepishly and turned into an adjoining room to get dressed, Dilan shook his head and sat down, "Of course Master...but when you're done, I deserve to hear the whole story."

* * *

Dilan just stood there after Ainar closed the door, with Kara stepping out of the other room a few moments later. He was starting to feel his cheeks flush from not having been able to let her know that she had been rescued by a Jedi.

"I...uh," he started to say before she gave him a smile.

"It's okay...we really didn't have time to introduce ourselves," she said as she sat down. "But I didn't know I'd ever meet a Jedi, much less thank one for saving me."

Dilan laughed softly at it as he sat down with her. "Now I just don't know where to start now."

"How about with an introduction," she said as she hugged him. "Thank you for earlier. My name's Kara Reada."

"Reada?" Dilan asked all of a sudden. "The concert they were holding last night?"

"My sister," Kara said, lowering her head a little. "She decided to leave ahead of schedule and I got left to find a liner for my home on Commenor."

"When the group of spacers appeared," Dilan said as he nodded softly.

"Did you use...."

"No," he said softly, then quickly added. "Not to kill them. I knocked them out. My father always says that to use the lightsaber to kill should only be in the case of last resort."

"Your father?"

"Oh, my apologies," Dilan said as he blushed a little. "I'm Dilan...Dilan Karrde."

"Karrde? As in..."

"Yeah," he said, not helping the grin on his face. "The same."

* * *

"Single craft entering the system," Qeluss announced from the sensor station, getting Tahms attention. "Its heading right for us."

"Get a visual if you can," Tahms said as he started pacing the foredeck of the bridge. "Configuration?"

"IFF reads as a freighter, but the drive signature is unusual. One person onboard." Tahms looked out the viewport, looking over the enhanced image and tried to make out the lines.

"Still heading this way," Qeluss said in his bland tone.

"Sir, I've got a battery locked on now," the exec said as he walked up.

"Not yet," Tahms said, getting a feeling from the situation. "Communications, get me a channel to that 'freighter'."

"Sir?"

"You heard me."

There was silence over the speakers, then some static, but the voice that eventually came through didn't surprise him.

_"Camera shy, Captain?"_

_Will he never be out of my memories?_ Tahms asked himself as he lowered his head a notch. "What do you want, Karrde? You already have us pinned."

 _"I came here to talk, Tahms,"_ Steffan said on the other line. _"I know you well enough to know that you don't want a battle here."_

He caught the exec hand signaling to the man at the tactical station and cut him off from ordering the order to fire. "I won't spend another few years at a penal colony."

 _"You don't have to,"_ he heard the Jedi say. _"I want a peaceful solution just like you do. Let me land and talk. You can even have all your guards there with blasters trained on me if you want."_

He thought of it, ignoring the look he was getting from his exec before he finally looked back. "Clear the hanger of all personnel. I'll meet him alone."

"Sir, I must protest. We don't...."

"Follow my orders or get put in the brig," Tahms said to him sternly. "He's never broken his word."

* * *

Maxell and Turner were taking a break from the situation room when the younger officer came in with the dispatch.

"They've stood down," Maxell said as he handed the datapad over to Turner and breathed a sigh of relief.

* * *

Steffan was breathing easier as he flew _Blue Talon_ into the _Valkyrie_ 's aft hangar. And it was evident that he wasn't the only one when he entered the bridge to the sound of applause from everyone there as officers and technicians stood from their stations and clapped as he came in.

"I wish they wouldn't do that," he quietly said to Captain Payne as he walked up to the command deck. "It's only my duty and responsibility."

"It's out of respect, Master Karrde," Payne said with a smile. "We may like a battle, but the boys and girls like even better when we don't have to fire so they can return home later."

"Aye," Steffan said with a nod to the captain and crew. "One less to worry about."

"Excuse me, sirs," the comm officer called up from his station. "Master Karrde, you have a transmission coming in."

Payne nodded softly and Steffan activated a private screen on the command deck.

"Ainar!" he blurted out, catching looks from some of the junior techs on the bridge. "Where in the...."

 _"Not on an open channel, please,"_ Ainar said quietly, holding up a hand to forestall Steffan's questioning. _"I'm at Dilan's apartment on the surface. How fast can you get here?"_

"I'm on the way."


	3. Chapter 3

Two days had passed with no word from Ainar. Maxell had been contacted by Arie's men and was sending a shuttle to Enduron to pick her and her team up. With a heavy sigh, Arie instructed her men to clean out the damaged transport so as to not leave any strand of evidence that a New Republic Strike Team had been on Enduron. "Move out. I want to reach the ridge before the shuttle enters the atmosphere." Arie said as her men strapped on their gear and began to trek up the mountain side to the rendezvous point.

* * *

Dilan opened the door for his father and they hugged for a brief moment before Steffan continued inside and met up with Ainar and grabbed his arm by the elbow, a warriors grip. "I'm glad to see you're unhurt my friend," Steffan said as he let go of his arm and looked around the apartment. "We have a lot to talk about I think, first." He then looked over to Dilan and Kara sitting on the sofa. "A guest, son?"

"Something like that," Dilan said sheepishly. "I'll explain it later."

He walked over to Kara and bowed. "Nice to meet you, my name is Steffan Karrde.”

Kara seemed to blush but extended her hand and smiled, "Nice to meet you Mr. Karrde...or should I call you Master Jedi?"

Steffan grinned and shook his head, "No my dear, Steffan will do fine.”

Kara seemed to loosen up a bit and took a seat at the dinner table.

Steffan pulled his robe around himself and walked over to the far window, "Ainar, can you fill me in on what happened to you and Arie ... and where is she anyway?"

Ainar walked over to the window and leaned against the wall. "Enduron, hopefully.."

Steffan raised an eyebrow and grinned back, " _Hopefully_?"

"Yeah well, we kinda got parted on the way. We were on our way back when the Bothan's intercepted us, she's got a sample we need to analyze that could tell us something about their suits.."

Steffan put up a hand, "What? The Bothans intercepted you?"

Ainar laughed, "Wait, it gets better.", bringing a chuckle from his friend. "Well long story short, I had to run the _Viking_ into an interdictor and escape in a life pod so Arie's ship could escape with the sample if I could escape I was supposed to meet her on Enduron almost 3 days ago."

"Kinda hard traveling to Enduron in an escape pod don't you think old friend?" Steffan asked, bringing a laugh from Dilan, who enjoyed the storytime.

"Well I didn't get far, the interdictor picked me up and I got thrown in a cell, and beat up by some thugs, a mixture of humans and Bothans..." Ainar added, then moved to take a seat.

"How?" Steffan asked, clearly intrigued by the whole ordeal.

"I couldn't feel the Force....first I thought Ysalamiri...but I'm not sure now."

"So there was someone calling the shots, someone Force-sensitive?"

Ainar nodded and in that habit of his started fiddling with his beard. "You're not gonna like it..."

Steffan leaned forward, "Try me.”

" _Bane_.” The name seemed to float in the room for a minute as no one spoke, Kara seemed to sink into the soft cushions, not grasping the seriousness of the discussion, but Dilan reached out to her and took her hand and helped her relax.

Steffan got to his feet and paced around, "You're right...I don't like it."

"I told you, well anyway, after talking to Bane and staying in that cell for another day, I attempted to break out, didn't work but I did overhear a conversation Bane was having with another man.....about transferring a captured suit to the Bothans.."

Steffan turned around swiftly and Ainar could feel the anger in him, "He's in league with the Bothans..."

Ainar nodded, "But to what extent we don't know yet...but this might help," he said as he pulled off his left boot and removed a false sole, then handed Steffan a little small item the size of a human tooth.

Steffan looked puzzled, "What's that?"

"Holorecordings from Arie, back from our mission..."

Steffan grabbed the item and studied it, "We better get this decrypted...but,” he stopped for a moment and looked at Ainar who was busy putting his boot back on. "How did you escape?"

Ainar leaned back on the sofa and looked up at his old friend, "He let me escape....and let me tell you, it is no coincidence that he let me off here."

Ainar left the room, where Steffan, Dilan and Kara sat, talking and getting to know each other. He needed to place a few calls. He walked over to the commstation and sat down. The first thing to do was to contact Arie, he punched in the coordinates for Enduron and tried to contact her beacon.

After a few relentless calls, her tired camouflaged face appeared on the monitor, first irritated then her face turned into one big smile. _"Ainar!"_

"Hello Master," he responded and smiled deeply.

 _"Where in the blazes are you?? We've been waiting for you on this rock for days now, the ship's too badly damaged to enter hyperspace!"_ she cried out, tired of waiting.

"I'm sorry, but I got detained by an old friend...Bane was on that interdictor.”

Arie's face froze on the monitor and for a second Ainar thought there was a lag in the transmission.

 _"Bane? Are you sure?"_ she asked clearly distressed.

Ainar said nothing but nodded in return, "I've informed Steffan and he will tell the council of my findings...I overheard Bane saying that he was going to give a suit over to the Bothans...so we have quite a mystery on our hands, Master."

 _"So it seems....we must investigate this at once,"_ Arie responded, the familiar fire burning in her eyes.

"We will Master, now I think I can bully Steffan into lending me his craft so I can come and pick you and your men up."

Arie shook her head, _"There will be no need for that Ainar, I contacted Maxell a couple of days ago and he's sending a shuttle that will be here in a few hours...but thank you."_

"Alright Master, I'll meet you back on Cataan when all this is over....May the Force be with you."

 _"I'll be heading back to Coruscant first, my friend. I've got troops to debrief....but I will be in contact with you shortly._ " Arie explained. Ainar nodded in reply.

He cut the channel and stood up and walked into the living room again.

"Steffan, we need to talk."

* * *

Her boots clipped along the steel grating of the deck as she moved down the corridor at a fast clip.

"General, good to have you back aboard," Maxell said, quickly falling into step beside her as they moved down the corridor of her flagship _Thorus Sounder._

"No time for the formalities, Colonel. Set course for Corellia...I need to speak with General Isbill about a possible new military weapon..." Arie briefed her advisor as she headed to the bridge.

"Then, we shall return to Corsucant....I need to schedule a meeting with the Senate...Inform Master Karrde and Master Algeron will be required to attend the meeting once you have it arranged." Arie instructed Colonel Maxell, knowing it would be a couple of weeks before a meeting time could be arranged with the Senate.

"Something important, I take it?" Maxell asked.

"Something that could change space warfare entirely," Arie replied, her face solemn.

* * *

"We need to talk with the rest of the Council and we can't do that here," Steffan said as he started to get up and think through a few things after he and Ainar talked through the situation. "Dilan, I'm going to need you to prep your shuttle and be ready to go."

"Dad, I can't leave Kara here." Dilan immediately said. "And from the way you and Ainar are talking, I wouldn't have time to take her home on my way to where ever."

"Its okay, Dilan," Kara said softly, placing a hand on Dilan's arm. "They're not expecting me, and I can let them know that I'm okay on the way to where ever we're going."

"I appreciate your trust and understanding, mi'lady," Steffan said as he brought up his wristcomm. "Karrde to Valkyrie."

" _This is Payne, Master Karrde,_ " came the response over the speaker.

"Captain, I need you to prepare the aft hanger for two craft."

_"Already cleared and waiting for you. Since we're supposed to be heading home for resupply, you'll be going that way?"_

"We'll need you to make flank speed soon as we're on board," Steffan said as he thanked Payne and cut the channel.

"Well, Dilan, I guess you and Kara need to get your stuff together that you'll need. Ainar, I'm going to need you to fly with them."

"Brought your mobile suit, did you?" Ainar asked as the two younger ones started going around the apartment.

"I was looking for you and didn't know what I would run into. You two ready?"

"Ready/" Dilan and Kara said at the same time, causing them to look at each other right after that. Ainar could help a smile and Steffan broke a grin too.

"Alright, we need to get going."

* * *

"You're telling me that your labs cannot distinguish the fourth metal in the sample? Am I hearing you correctly, General?" Arie asked, a look of disbelief on her face.

"Yes, General Dinn, you are hearing me quite correctly. There are traces of Twin Tiron Pulp alloy, titanium, and steel, but the fourth is a man-made metal." General Erik Isbill informed his former sister-in-law.

"Or Bothan made." Arie grumbled, looking the piece of metal over in her hand.

"Well, intel reports have shown that the Bothans have constructed several more manufacturing facilities on their planet as well as their moon. It is quite possible that they have found a way to construct a new metal for armament." Erik continued.

"But armor and any other military weaponry item must have a prototype sent to the patten office on Coruscant for registration and cataloging." Arie answered in reply.

"Agreed, but if the Bothans stole an already-approved pattened prototype, like the one that was stolen from one of our labs a few days ago, then they would have a legally registered prototype that no one would question." Erik went on.

Arie's eyes shot up from the metal to Erik's face. "They did _what_?"

"A team of smugglers, believed to be Bothan, infiltrated one of our labs, our armament testing lab to be exact. A prototype for suit armor, the one we applied for and received a patten for over a year ago, was stolen. We sent a report to your office regarding the theft." Erik informed Arie.

"Well I was indisposed on Enduron at the time," Arie grumbled back.

"Enduron?" Erik asked, surprised.

"Long story, will explain later. Right now, I need you to get copies of your security reports and accompany me to Coruscant. We have a Senate to inform in a couple of days." Arie replied, taking her officer's cap and placing it on her head as she headed out of the Corellian lab, back to her transport.

"I just don't understand about why Enduron," Steffan said as he leaned back in his chair. The past few hours had begun to get tiring. On returning to Cataan aboard Valkyrie, Steffan had gotten the message from Jade as soon as he entered the house about Arie's request for him and Ainar to come to Coruscant for a senate hearing. With such a lack of time, Steffan let everyone rest and let Ainar contact his wife while he transferred his mobile suit from the decoy shroud to the docking position on _White Squall._

Dilan opted to stay home and help Kara out with getting in touch with her folks, but Andrea had her travel pack ready in no time and continued to work on decoding the data that Ainar had pulled.

"Why is it so hard to picture?" Ainar asked as he sipped his caf.

"Tahms was on his way back from Enduron to where ever it is that Reinhart is staging," Steffan said as he leaned forward on the table. "They still had their prototype mobile suit stashed away there, but it was gone when he returned to get it. If you're saying that Bane had it, he must've waited till after not only when Tahms left that first time, but when I left with Knight Caller before he'd retrieved it."

"Damn," Ainar said as he looked down at his cup. "We didn't know that when we set up the recon mission. But then what were they going, doing further testing there after everyone was thought to be gone?"

"I don't know," Steffan said as he looked over to Andrea. "Still working on it."

"I'm halfway done on the decrypting," Andrea said as she leaned back and rubbed the back of her neck. "But some of this is beyond me. We might have wanted to leave this for Chris Tien to crack."

"Maybe," Steffan said as he sighed. "We'll have to trust to her and Arie's codebreakers to handle it."

Ainar sat back and enjoyed his caf, Andrea was sitting by the computer decrypting the data he had and Steffan had closed his eyes a bit, none of them had slept since the arrived home. He had spoken to his wife earlier, she was relieved to see him alive and well, but a little worried as he told her what happened to him and brought her up to speed on the whole Bane situation. "I want you to take what you need and go to the Temple, stay at our apartment there until we settle this..." he had told her, he knew how Bane thought.

She didn't like it, but she knew how to read his facial expression, and he was worried for his wife and unborn child...

"How is she?" Steffan said startling Ainar who spilled caf over his sleeve, bringing laughter from Andrea and her father at his misfortune.

Ainar just smiled and dried it off, "she's doing good, I think this situation frightened her a bit though, but she's gonna stay at the Temple for now, with the lockdown in order she'll be safe with the guards there."

Steffan sat up straight and yawned, "Good...and sorry about that, must've been tired."

Ainar just smiled, "Yeah, we all are I think...and Andrea, take a break from that computer screen, you need rest too."

Andrea turned to them and looked at her father for approval, "he's right, get something to eat and drink, then go to bed...we need to save our strength."

"Alright father, I will. Sleep well, father...Ainar." she responded, bowing at them both and left the room.

Steffan stood up and walked over to the cabinet and brought back a bottle of rich Sullustan brandy and two beautiful glasses. "I think we could use some of this, my friend."

Ainar agreed and accepted the glass, admiring the smell of the brownish liquor before taking a small sip.

"Wow...that's strong," he said as Steffan sat down and took a sip of his.

"Yes, I got it from a Wookiee merchant in town....it's very hard to come by, it's illegal to export it." Steffan explained, admiring the bottle.

"Breaking the rules? Aren't we supposed to uphold them?" Ainar asked grinning and took another sip.

"Only when they make sense," Steffan responded laughing, then placed the drink on the table.

"What's bothering you, Steffan?" Ainar asked as he continued to sip his brandy.

"Arie's calling for an evacuation of the Temple when she had me placed under house arrest," Steffan told him as he closed his eyes. "The more I think about the Senate's order to do that and her warning for the Jedi to leave, I can't help but wonder if this also was part of Bane's doing."

"Through the Bothans?"

Steffan nodded softly, "If he intended to release you to let me know that he was behind matters, then he has been behind them for a long time. What worries me is the question of how much more preparations does he need to strike."

"Strike?" Ainar asked him.

"You know him just about as well as I do," Steffan said as he looked at him. "And he knows the rule just as I do. Strike hard, strike fast....then fade away. But I'm wondering how far he went with setting us up."

"The _Outbound Flight_ module that we recovered on Hoth?"

"A fake," Steffan said with a greater sigh. "I had forgotten it until Andrea looked up the files, but _Outbound Flight_ had been found before the Vong Invasion."

"Amazing," Ainar said as he leaned forward. "Where was it?"

"On a moon in Chiss Space," Steffan told him as he remembered the history. "The ships were left mostly intact, from what Master Skywalker's journals told. The New Republic was finishing talks to be able to excavate and return the remains. Then...the invasion began."

"It would be something if we could bring that about later," Ainar said, glad to be talking about a brighter subject. "It would be nice."

"Aye," Steffan said as he sipped some of his brandy. "But for the moment, we must look at the present."

* * *

"I don't believe the situation has been fully explained," Arie said as she stood before the Advisory Council. "Current circumstances have yielded information that...."

"You can spout all of these things all you want, General," Karle'yla said from his seat at the table.

"We've listened to these conspiracy theories long enough to..."

"This is no _theory_ , Senator," Arie said as she glared at the Bothan before return her attention to President Donnach. "Sir, you asked me to investigate the possibilities of a force or forces that would attempt to undermine everything that this government has tried to hard to maintain. And the call for the house arrest of..."

Karle'yla huffed and threw his hands in the air.

"...Master Karrde was completely uncalled for, despite what the Bothan and Anzati representatives have claimed. In my opinion, it was an attempt to cover their own doings."

Donnach looked over at Karle'yla and leaned forward in his chair. "You have proof of this, General Dinn?"

"Eye witness statement," Arie told them. "I know that some will think it unreliable, but I trust the source and I would call on him and another to offer their findings and their opinion on the situation."

"Please, by all means," Donnach said as he looked at the doors opening, and nodded softly along with others at the table while others still shook heads and took noticable offense as the new guests entered the room.

"Senators," Steffan Karrde said as he and Ainar bowed before the Council, then greeted his countryman in a more traditional manner. "President Donnach, many tidings to you and your house. We come as bearers of unfortunate news."

"And many to you and your family," Donnach answered with the proper respect. "Master Karrde, what has happened? Why have the Jedi left Coruscant?"

"There are....forces....behind this series of events, sir," Steffan began to tell him. "One that has used members of this council and the Senate to further their own goals. In this, I will make an accusation based on what knowledge I have."

"Against whom?"

"Senator Karle'yla," Steffan answered as he returned the Bothan's deadly stare. "It was Senator Karle'yla who pushed for my immediate arrest and we believe his people have attempted to further their own agenda as well with the help of the Anzati and...other forces."

Donnach stared hard at Karle'yla for a long moment before looking back at his countryman. "Steffan, this is a very serious charge you're presenting."

"I should say so," Karle'yla burst out. "This...Jedi has the gall to accuse me of these things while he has..."

The Wookiee that served on the Advisory council howled a retort and glared at Karle'yla before the Bothan quieted down and resumed his seat. Steffan softly nodded to him as he continued his story.

"General Dinn's private office was broken into by a Bothan intrusion team while, at the same time, my home was similarly infiltrated. Both teams had expert codeslicers and were attempted to capture designs that have been deemed highly classified," he told them. "Master Algeron, while en route to assess other matters, was captured and detained in operations that involved an Interdictor Cruiser. Not many forces outside of the New Republic have access to this class of ship."

"This is..." Karle'yla started to say again. "No, I will not be silent, Councilor Kielocca. I will not stand by while this man besmirches my people with these lies. If this body wishes to listen to this...if you are so gullible to let the Jedi lead you around like this, do so. But I will not be part of this." He gathered his datapad and walked out from the table and exited through the door behind Steffan, Arie, and Ainar. To Steffan's notice and mild surprise, there were several others that started to leave with him. Gathering datapads and activating commlinks as they went. _So it begins_ , he silently thought to himself.

* * *

"How do we play this now?" Ainar asked as the two walked down the corridor, away from the council chamber. Arie had stayed in the session, covering every aspect of what needed to happen now.

"Karle'yla and others may be leaving Coruscant," Steffan told him. "But they won't do that without leaving assets behind to spy or disrupt as much as possible."

"Not to mention anyone of Bane's adepts that he might have here," Ainar mentioned.

"Exactly," Steffan said as they entered the lift. "Those among our numbers that can effectively act as counters to any efforts they might put up, I want in place here on Coruscant and in other areas that will be vital. I'll bring Arie up to speed on it later."

* * *

"That damned fool," Bane said as he reviewed the holoimages. "Never trust a Bothan to do what you need him to do."

"As always, my lord," Amrond said as he stayed behind his master. "Do you wish him taken and eliminated?"

"When the time comes," Bane told him as he turned off the image. "How is the boy's conversion?"

"He is ready," the younger warrior told him. "And eager."

"His time will come, Amrond," the lord said. "In the meantime, begin shifting our other adepts to our new location."

* * *

**Some time later....**

_Well, they're no longer on Korriban_ , Steffan thought as he played the events of the past two weeks in his mind. It had been a stressful period for some of his knights, and Ainar was still recovering in the medical center on Edmonton because of that. The Sith leaving their ancestral fortress puzzled him and concerned him at the same time. They had always possessed a strong foothold on there. So moving from such a tradition was unusual.

But then again, Bane has never been a typical Sith.

He looked over some of his notes that he had written down over the past few days since his return from that planet. There were some things to decide. Callista Gseran, a recent addition to the ranks of the Jedi Knights, had requested to take another under her wing as a padawan. Though she proved herself on Korriban, Steffan felt something still tugging at her. It was true that she was one of his students and he did what he could to teach her well, and her skills as a healer continued to grow.

 _Some things I know we'll need soon_ , he thought to himself as he continued to write more into his journal. He would have his answer for her in the next few days.

For Callista, it had not even been a week since she had returned to the Temple. She felt a certain degree of urgency attached to this moment. The Force vibrated with it, the urgency pulsed at the back of her mind. At Steffan's direction, she returned to Coruscant after the time she spent in recovery on Cataan. Also at his direction, given her growing abilities as a healer, he felt it was time for her to take a padawan to start passing on her skills.

There were many students in the Temple who would make a suitable padawan, yet none of them resonated with her, except one. A young girl of eleven, Althea Sacha. Although she was a little younger than the traditional age where one is taken as a padawan, Callista felt a bond with her.

Althea was tall for her age, with long black hair which hung down her back. She was swift and sure-footed in the use of the lightsaber. This skill though came in a close second to the more apparent one: healing. In spite of her young age, Althea's skill as a healer was very close to Callista's own skill.

Having observed Althea in her classes over the past few days, Callista approached the Council, with the request to take the girl as her Padawan. As she stood in the center of the Council chamber, she sensed wariness from several. They were still brooding over her actions on Corellia, and some felt that she was not ready for the responsibility of training another.

Steffan spoke up, breaking the heavy silence that had fallen over the room. "I know that many of you have reservations about Callista taking a student so soon after the death of her Master and giving what has transpired on Korriban. I must agree that it is time for her to do so. In addition to many other considerations, I feel that it will help her to remain anchored in the Light."

After a moment of silence, where Callista could feel something pass between the members of the Council, Steffan turned to her once more. "Callista Gseran, it is the agreement of this Council that you are ready to undertake the training of a Padawan. May the Force guide you both on this new journey." he bowed to her, and she returned it, backing out of the Council chamber.

Althea was sitting in her quarters, a reader on her lap as she studied for her history class. She glanced as a chime sounded, signaling someone was at the door. "Enter!" she called. Imagine her surprise when who should enter, but Callista Gseran. She rose and bowed respectfully to the older Jedi.

"Good morning, Master Gseran. What can I do for you?" She moved aside some of her study materials, offering Callista a seat. Callista sat, taking a deep breath as she gazed at Althea.

"Athea Sacha, it would be my great honor to train you in the ways of the Jedi, and those of the Healer." She paused for a moment, watching Althea's face change from surprise to joy. The girl rose, and threw her arms around Callista's neck. "I would be honored to study with you, Master Gseran."

They sat in Callista's quarters now, having shifted Althea's belongings to Callista's rooms in the section of the Temple reserved for Knights and their Padawans. Brushing out Althea's long hair, Callista separated a section behind her right ear to make the Padawan braid. The girl's joy was palpable, wrapping around both of them. Takin the section of hair, Callista's deft fingers worked it into the braid that would mark Althea as a padawan.

* * *

Ainar sat, cross-legged on the Temple's roof, overlooking Coruscant. The wind was blowing hard and the rain soaked his robes completely as he sat there, as he had for the last two hours since he returned to the Temple. Kate was downstairs, asleep. It was 4 in the morning, he had come home after an emergency meeting with the Council members still on Coruscant....most had been sent away with the students.

He didn't feel cold, just fine in fact as the wind threw his hair around and the cold rain bashed his face.

In fact....he didn't feel anything....and it scared him. The past months had changed him, after the 'incident' on Korriban, when that disobedient healer had run off and led him to a fight with a Sith Lord more powerful than he was. His wife...now pregnant with their daughter, felt distant to him..and it was his fault.

Steffan had tried to talk to him, again and again after that incident, but he couldn't tell him. He was fine...he was probably just tired. He stood up in the rain, finally giving up and pulled his soaked robe around him.

 _"You're not finished yet,"_ a voice came from behind him.

"Are you going to be watching over my shoulder all my life?" Ainar asked, not turning around.

_"Only when you're being an idiot, Ainar."_

Ainar shook his head and turned around, facing the image of Kevin Dinn, then turned back and sat down, cross-legged.

Kevin's shimmering form sat down opposite him and smiled.

Ainar felt uncomfortable in the presence of his long-dead friend.

"You summoned me Ainar."

Ainar looked at him puzzled, knowing that he probably did. "What's happening to me?"

Kevin's smile faded, and a look of sadness covered his face. _"You know that as well as I do, old friend. We Jedi pride ourselves of being peaceful and in harmony with all life, but we all know that underneath we are still fighting the battle of staying good. And you lost that battle back on Korriban.."_

"I actually won," Ainar said grinning, bringing a look from Kevin that obviously meant that humor was not appropriate at this time.

_"During your fight, you let your impulses take over, instead of staying alive, you killed, you murdered him in cold blood, and I'm not going to baby you, you brought this onto yourself."_

Ainar looked down, fighting off the memories of that eventful battle. "I know I did, but I didn't mean to! I was dying Kev, what was I supposed to do?"

_"You were losing, you were supposed to lose."_

"So I was just supposed to die?" Ainar yelled, feeling warm with rage.

Kevin just nodded, _"You swore to uphold an oath, by leaning onto the Darkside and using your anger to win the fight, you broke that oath."_

Ainar stood up and walked to the end of the roof, overlooking the endless abyss below. "I didn't want to die....I have a wife! I have a daughter on the way!"

_"That's one of the things we did wrong with the new Jedi order...possession, love...we should have listened to the old holocrons and kept those aspects of life away."_

"I don't care what you think, I love my wife, I _need_ her." Ainar said, fuming and turned around to face Kevin. "Since your mother took me as her padawan, my life has been filled with battles, wars, death, corruption....A Jedi is supposed to uphold justice, not fight all his life!"

Kevin stood up and walked towards him, then stopped at the edge of the roof next to him. _"I know...and_

_I fear that you are going to have to continue fighting."_

Ainar looked up at him "Something you sense?"

Kevin nodded and his gaze drifted to the stars. _"In time, you will know....but the thing I fear is that you won't be there for the Order."_

Ainar shot him a look filled with disgust, "I would never betray the order!"

 _"Ainar!_ Kevin screamed, startling him, _"You need to change what has happened here, you need to accept your fate and help yourself...or receive help from those around you...otherwise.."_

Ainar took a heavy breath and gazed at the stars, "I'm fine...I need to take some time off, meditate."

 _"You need to do more than that.."_ Kevin said, and with a wave of his hand the image of Kate appeared in a blue shimmer, holding what appeared to be their unborn daughter in her arms, and next to her he saw himself, standing by a hospital bed, smiling. _"This is what awaited you...your daughter, but I came here to help you because the fates have twisted, I fear that things may turn out differently..."_

He waved his hand again, and the image was replaced by Ainar, now all alone, his face tired, eyes empty..his beard and hair grown long, alone..dark.

"What is this?" Ainar asked, walking to the illusion.

_"This is what the Force has shown me, this is what your future holds for you if you don't make the right choice, right here and right now!"_

Ainar turned around as the doors to the ceiling swirled open.

"Ainar, are you here?" Steffan said, peeking around the corner. "It's almost sunrise.. have you been up here all night?"

Ainar looked back to Kevin, but he was gone, along with the terrifying images.

"Yes, but it's time to come back in.." he said, as he walked to the open door.

"What have you been doing up there?" Steffan asked as he held the door open for him.

"Just thinking, it's been a long couple of months," Ainar said as he stepped inside and closed the door, facing his friend.

Steffan nodded and started walking down the staircase, "Did it help?"

"Not much, but it's better than drinking a whole bottle of rum." Ainar said following him down. The rest of the way passed without conversation as the event that took place on the roof still unnerved Ainar, and he knew Steffan could see it. As they entered the main hallway again, Ainar stopped and looked at his friend. "I think I'm going to get a little rest...please excuse me from the Council deliberations this afternoon" then took off in the other direction, heading for his apartment.

He knew he could be nicer to Steffan, but he was afraid that spending too much time close to him, he might pick up on his earlier conversation with Kevin on the roof....and he was not keen on sharing that with anyone. Moments later he arrived at his apartment and entered the room just as Kate stepped out of the 'fresher, wrapped in a towel.

He smiled at her, and she stopped as she saw him and he could feel the warm, comforting glow coming from her and his little girl in her womb. He walked over and grabbed her, wrapping his arms around his wife. "I've missed you...I'm sorry I haven't been here lately."

Kate laughed and gave him a long kiss as he let her down, his hand leading down and sliding into hers. Then led her to the sofa, pulling her down onto his lap.

She smiled at him and brushed his wet hair from his eyes, both of them said nothing for a few seconds. “I have missed you," she said, and kissed his forehead.

Ainar smiled and hugged her closely, then moved his right hand down to her stomach and placed his hand under the towel...stretching his senses towards the life force inside his wife.

She smiled at him as he closed his eyes and felt the Force flow from him....wrapping his unborn child in a current of soothing energy.....he could feel it's heart beat, it's strength....his child would one day become a powerful Jedi...then like a flash, the images Kevin showed him slipped into his mind...a feeling of loss and sorrow filled him and he jerked his hand back.

"What's wrong?" Kate exclaimed, her eyes wide with shock fearing for the welfare of her child.

Ainar swallowed and looked up at her, focusing on her eyes.

"I'm sorry...just sensed something happening in the lower levels of Coruscant honey....stretched my senses out too far I guess." he smiled at her....and felt guilty about lying to her, but he couldn't tell her. Not yet, not until he knew what it meant, and if he knew Kevin was correct.

"Are you sure?" she asked sweetly, running her fingers through his hair.

"I'm sure honey....I'm just tired and wasn't expecting that....but I can tell you one thing. Our daughter is going to grow up and become as strong as her mother, and twice as powerful as Master Karrde....and she will inherit my good looks of course." he said grinning, giving her a kiss on the tip of her nose.

Kate beamed with joy and gave him a real kiss, then slowly moved away. "I love you.”

He let go of her hand as she slowly stood up. "I love you too.”

He bathed in her joy as she gave him a wink and started walking to their bedroom. "I'm going to get dressed, I'll be out soon."

He smiled back, "I'll probably fall asleep in 6.5 seconds...don't take it personally.”

She laughed and entered their room.

Ainar felt better, his wife always took the bad things in life and made them disappear...if just for a moment.

He crossed his arms behind his head and laid down on the sofa, already passing into sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

_Why am I feeling uneasy about him?_ Steffan had zoned out from the conversations that were going on for the moment and had propped his head in his hand, thinking over Ainar's attitude since they had returned.

"Steffan..."

"Hmmm?" He looked up to see Chris Tien and Relan looking at him.

"Are you alright?" Relan asked. "You're looking like your thoughts are elsewhere."

"Yes. Sorry, I'm just... Please, where do we stand?"

"At the moment," Chris Tien told them from where she sat. "I not entirely sure that we should bring our people back to Coruscant. We still have no indication of what resources the Bothans and others have left behind to hinder our efforts."

"Not to mention the fact that we have no idea of how deep Bane has infiltrated places here," Relan added in.

"Then we leave the ones that we brought in to counter their efforts," Steffan said as he nodded. "I can speak for Jameson DeGarmo and say that those that made it to Cataan are more than welcomed if they wish to continue studies there."

"So you are definitely going forward with your idea?" Chris Tien asked him as the others left the council chamber.

"Yes, I am." Steffan told her. "I've thought about this a good bit and I think its the right thing to do. I've been content with teaching just my children too long. I must look to training others again."

"You still feel remorse over Souvrin," she told him. "I can tell."

He thought about that. It had been so many years ago....before Andrea was born and Dilan adopted before he and Jade were even married. Steffan's first padawan, Souvrin was a promising student, quickly learning what he could from the Cataani. The promise was cut short when Souvrin was forced into a duel with Welt, once Steffan's friend that eventually turned to the Dark Side...and to the teachings of the Sith. Steffan and Souvrin were separated....and it was a duel Souvrin was ill-prepared for.

"I owe it to him, Chris," he told her. "Just as much as I owe it to Olorin, Ogion...Master Legato, everyone."

"Alright," she said as she nodded and looked out at the cityscape. "There's still been no word on Falk."

"I've done deep meditation on him every night," Steffan said as he leaned back and sighed. "And....I fear the worse. I keep getting the feeling Chris...that he is now along the same path as his brother."

* * *

"Completed already?" Amrond asked as he walked in on the lone person in the chamber.

"Yes, teacher," the youth said as he remained kneeling on the floor.

Amrond picked up the lightsaber that laid in front of his student and examined it before he activated it. The blade was one of the deepest red, so much that he grinned as he felt the power coursing through the weapon. "Excellent work. Welt would be proud of you. You are almost ready to take your place."

"Very well, master," Falk said as he stood up.

* * *

Ainar stirred from his sleep as Kate leaned down and gave him a kiss on his cheek.

"Sorry I woke you.." she said softly, smiling at him.

He opened his eyes and smiled back, "it's alright...though I think I could use a little more rest. Are you going out?"

"Yeah, I think a walk in the gardens...you sleep now but next time you join me," Kate said smiling and kissed him goodbye.

He just smiled and slowly drifted back to sleep as he heard the front door swooshed closed. He felt himself dropping, and he let out a long sigh as he felt sleep overcome him once again...but snapped back to awareness as his senses tingled with a familiar sense. "Are you not going to leave me alone Kev? Go haunt your mother will 'ya..."

Kevin did not reply, so Ainar shook his head and raised himself up and looked behind him, then jumped to his feet as an unfamiliar man, in a bluish shimmer stood in his living room, dressed in a dark tunic.

"Who are you?"

The man walked over to him slowly, his hair long and a scar running down his right eye. " _My name is Anakin._ ” The man...Anakin stopped by a chair and sat down, eyeing Ainar with a strange but infiltrating glance.

Ainar lowered himself back down and took a seat on the sofa, opposite to Anakin.

"Would that be Anakin _Solo_ , or Skywalker?" Ainar asked, clearly suspicious since the only Jedi he knew of with that name both died ages ago....well so did Kevin, but he was different....he had a hard time letting go.

The man grinned at him, a grin showing both amusement and superiority. _"My name is Anakin Skywalker, yes."_ the man said, leaning back in the seat.

Ainar nodded, "So...you just decided to drop by my quarters after being dead for what...100 years?"

Anakin grinned widely and crossed his legs, _"You remind me of someone...but anyway, yes I actually was sent here."_

"What's with you guys....can't you just stay dead? Or a part of the Force...is there a word on that by the way? Why do you gang up on me anyway?"

 _"Well, yes...there is an afterlife, can't talk about it much...and we're not ganging up on you, Master Algeron...you do realize that it is not often that we are allowed to make contact with the living,"_ he said, watching him closely.

"Well, then what is it?"

Anakin rose from his seat and walked over to the window, _"Everything is so different since I was here last...don't remember it being so green....but some things are the same, like love, hate, anger...Yoda had it right you know."_

Ainar sat on the sofa, listening. "I've already had the speech from Kevin...there's nothing wrong, I had a moment but I've dealt with it already."

 _"No, you haven't, what you think I don't know this all? Come on 'Master', everyone knows me, what I did...It's probably in textbooks in this new temple we have here! I don't have much time here, actually, this is it....there are people that want you in the fight, and yes there WILL be a fight and you will be needed. Now get your act together, man."_ Anakin's anger brought the temperature down in the room, or so it felt as the tall man stood there yelling.

Ainar stood up, having enough of this poodoo, "Get the hell out of my apartment..."

"A little difficult, since I'm actually here to talk to you."

Ainar spun around at the voice and saw Steffan standing in the doorway. And he suddenly felt his face flushing from the conversation he had just had.

"I've been feeling something dark within you ever since we returned," Steffan told him as he walked into the room. "I think we need to talk."

"I'm alright, Steffan," Ainar said as he sat back down in his seat and began to pour himself a drink. He couldn't even move the cork out of the bottle, but looked over to see that Steffan had his hand outstretched and was holding it.

"You can't hide what's brooding inside," his friend told him. "We need to talk about this here, privately."

"And if I don't want to talk about it?"

"I would prefer it be talked about here and not in chambers," Steffan told him bluntly. "It's your choice. I'm concerned about you, Callista has been worried since our return. We must talk."

Ainar stretched his hand out quickly in Steffan's direction and he saw Steffan flinch as his Force hold was severed, and Ainar then pulled the cork out of the bottle and grabbed two glasses from the cabinet, feeling Steffan's gaze on his back. "Ainar..."

Ainar turned around and placed the glasses on the table, next to the bottle of Dantooine's finest moonshine.

"Sit down," he said, pouring into the glasses, avoiding direct eye contact.

Steffan walked over to the table slowly, then took his outer robe off and sat down where Anakin had been moments earlier. Steffan held up his hand, "That wasn't very nice...".

"Well it's not nice to come between an angry man and his booze," Ainar said grinning, trying to ease the atmosphere.

Steffan just sat there calmly, eyeing his friend then accepted the glass Ainar handed him.

"I think it's time buddy.." Steffan added, smelling the clear liquid before taking a small sip which made his whole body feel like a supernova.

Ainar looked down into the glass, then brought it to his lips and finished the drink in one sip, then slammed it on the table. "I messed up."

Steffan placed his glass back on the table, not caring for the taste. "Alright...you can tell me.” Steffan's aura felt bitter, probably angry about being left in the dark, mixed with all that's happened...his house arrest, the Bothans...Bane.

"Korriban..." was all he could say, it felt like the words just didn't want to come out, so he grabbed the bottle and poured himself another shot, and downed it immediately. "It was Korriban, that's what happened. That bloody rock."

"I guess this has something to do with this Lord Benas?"

Ainar nodded, "I gave the Council the whole report on that incident, including that he died in a battle between the two of us."

Steffan just nodded, "I've actually been wondering about that...you were acting a bit odd when we picked you two up....so something you want to add to the record?"

Ainar poured himself another drink and took a small sip of it, then placed it on the table and stared at it for a moment. "He tortured her, and was about to kill as just as I got there Steffan...it was a long and brutal fight, but in the end I got lucky..that's it. I was moments from death, I still have the scars to show it" Ainar almost shuddered when he thought about his burnt flesh, "I managed to deflect his own attack back, he lost his eyesight and I had the high ground, he was unarmed!"

Steffan leaned forward, his hands clasped together, "but you killed him anyway.."

"What other choice did I have?" Ainar asked back. "I was already injured and there were others there. I had no choice, Steffan. And you can't tell me that you would've spared him under the same conditions."

He just leaned back in the seat and contemplated what he was hearing. "I'm not going to argue with you, Ainar. But I feel that you're not giving me everything about what happened. I'm feeling a lot more from you."

"Look Steffan...."

Steffan had held up his hand to forestall what he was about to say. "I'm serious, Ainar. Let me put this bottle up and really talk about this."

Ainar looked at the bottle on the desk and could already feel the effects of the liquor, he wasn't used to drinking but at times like these, it made you numb, which felt good. He turned his gaze towards his old friend and hesitated for a moment, thinking that whatever the reason, Steffan doubted him as a Jedi.

And he himself shared that doubt.

He looked up at the chrono and saw that almost half an hour had passed since Kate left for her walk, and would be back momentarily...he had no intention of having her witness this, his possible expulsion.

He looked back at Steffan and his anger and hurt seeped into his words, "I wanted to kill him....is that what you want to hear? He deserved it, and it felt good."

Ainar stood up and walked towards the window, turning his back to Steffan. "You don't understand, none of you do. I've witnessed too much since I became a part of the Order...I've fought my entire life! I've been waiting for my life to turn around...to be able to train younglings, meditate and do normal Jedi work...but I've never let go of this bloody lightsaber, and people have died and gone missing...Kevin died, he was my friend and the Force knows he won't stop letting me know that I survived that fight and he didn't. Arie left, Bryn walked out on me...Ter-Lon, I don't even know the boy anymore....my whole life as a Jedi, people have grown apart from me, I'm a loner and people see that. The only good thing in this life is my wife and our child....and so what if I slipped, I had a reason to!"

He spun around, "And you can judge me all you want....and I suppose you will take this to the Council, I know I would."

Steffan still just sat there, listening and looking at him with a mix of regret and understanding.

"Please leave me now, do what you have to...I'm exhausted and I'm going to take the day off....goodbye, Steffan." Ainar walked out of the living room and into his bedroom, closing the door.

Steffan just sat there, dumbfounded. Nothing of Ainar's actions and words were like anything he had ever seen from his friend. And....it really saddened him. "I'm sorry," Steffan whispered to no one in particular as he rose from his chair and started to make his way out the quarters when Kate started to walk back in.

"Master Karrde," she said as she smiled at him. "I didn't know that you were going to visit or I would've spiffed up the place some."

"That wasn't necessary, mi'lady," Steffan responded in kind. "I just wanted to have a word with your husband. Good day, ma'am."

* * *

"Keep up with their efforts as best as you can," Steffan told Relan as he and Chris-Tien started to board _White Squall_ 's boarding ramp. "They won't have backed down how."

"I understand," Relan told him as he gave a mock salute and began to go to work.

"What do you think his next move will be?" Chris asked him as they made it onboard.

"That...I feel we won't know until he's already done it," he said as the hatch closed. "For now, we need to see about getting back to Cataan. We've got a lot to work and prepare for."

* * *

**Somewhere in the Unknown Regions, on a planet without a name…**

_You’ve had a very rough journey, my friend…come back to the light…_

The light was blinding, and he raised a hand to shield his eyes. Those blasted Tattooine suns never seemed to let up. He looked down the dusty and deserted street and found himself suddenly standing before his old Freighter…The _Firebird_ …

In the space between heartbeats, he was swept away once again, he was actually getting used to it now.

He stood in a clearing on Endor, the spicy-sweet smell of the trees filling his lungs with every breath. His Master stood next to the _Firebird_ , smiling and waving him forward…they would be hibernating soon…his training was very near complete…

_Easy now…let you’re eyes adjust…stay with me Master Jedi…_

_Master_ …

He wasn’t a master yet…no…he was still a knight…he was on Coruscant, roaming the halls of Imperial Palace. It struck him as odd that they were empty…he thought he remembered them being crowded to overflowing with all manner of life. In an instant, he was in the hanger. He ran his fingers along the fuselage of an X-wing and was surprised when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned and saw her…he knew this memory…She smiled at him, her icy blue eyes penetrating his very core. He knew what she was going to say before she said it; this was his memory after all…

_Are you lost?_

That wasn’t her voice. Those were her words…but not her voice. The light was blinding him again…

_Please…I’m here to help…I’m here to help you find your way…_

He had once helped someone find her way.

_Arie._

The memories came flooding in on him again, and again he relived them all…

She had worn a beautiful, flowing white gown and a necklace of sapphires. His heart skipped a beat as he slid the ring, a solid gold band with a diamond surrounded by sapphires in the middle, onto her finger. That first year was incredible, but then she was away…her stepbrother was wreaking havoc in the galaxy and she was being sent to Andalor. He had to stay…his squadron was needed for the defense of Coruscant…

His squadron…the Silver Blades…the name chosen for the color of his lightsaber…He’d fought long and hard in that war, and lost most of his squadron. Those who survived went into early retirement, but some scars don’t heal…they all knew they’d be called back…it was just a question of time…

In this place…time moved quickly in places, and eternally slow in others…

For a life age, he sat, on that floor. He cradled his son in his arms as they both wept over her clothes…that was all they had left of her…he’d fought with all he had to help her, but the disease was the will of the Force…just a part of a prophecy that had been laid on the shoulders of his wife…He’d been there all along, helping her on her way when she needed it, and sometimes helping her regardless of whether she needed it or not. He’d saved her numerous times before, but he couldn’t save her from that damned prophecy, and it ate at him from that moment on…

_Why do you persist…_

_Because I still have hope…_

_**Hope…** _

That was what his son had become…hope. After she died, after the Force they both had served stole her away, his son became at once his whole universe and his only hope for life. He took it upon himself to train the boy, becoming a Master of the Force. In training his son, he himself searched for more and more knowledge of the Force. He began to see it for what it was, neither light nor dark. Life is neither inherently good nor evil. It simply is. With this understanding, he grew in power…never again would he lose someone he cared for…

Then…his son was kidnapped.

The broken and bloodied bodies of the cloned Sith lay strewn about the hallways of the Sith Lord’s secret fortress. Mere tokens of the rage that very nearly consumed him as he searched for the one who would dare steal his son. He’d found that Sith Lord and freed his son from her clutches. He distinctly remembered the contraption drawing from his son the power of the Phoenix. The Sith Lord was reviving long-dead minions, but she had made a mistake in using his son…for his son missed Arie almost as much as he did…

They found her in a spaarti cylinder, pulled back from the Force through the power of the Phoenix. Together again, husband and wife, they had fought that Sith Lord as they escaped from the fortress. His will to keep his family alive pushed him farther than he’d ever been pushed before and he discovered aspects of the Force that were unknowable to him before then…

_I know you’re strong…you can fight…_

He was born to fight.

His mind wandered to a sacred ceremony he’d held in private with his son and his wife. He’d grown out his hair just for the occasion. In the solitude of the forest of Endor, the place of his training, he stood before his son and wife. Without words, he took a Coshackian Kukri and cut off the ponytail he was wearing. Repeating the words his wife had taught him, he handed the lock of hair to his son…things did not look good in the galaxy…he was going to make them look better…

The Blades flew once more…

The battle played in flashes…an explosion here…a scream cut off prematurely echoed in his mind…He was hit. Nearly out of control, he crashed his ship in the belly of an enemy cruiser analog. These aliens from the next galaxy fought with the cunning of warriors, and, to make matters worse, they were mere whispers in the Force, if anything at all. He survived the crash and fought his way to the bridge. Vong warriors lay scattered behind him, marking his path with random limbs. The Force crackled inside him and lightning danced in his eyes. On the bridge of that alien ship (if one could call it that) he fought for hours. They couldn’t touch him. His silver blade flashed quicker than their honed reflexes could counter. He was at one with the Force and it flowed through him with all the power of all the rivers and oceans in the galaxy…and then something went wrong…

There was an alarm of sorts…something told him the ship was going to…die…and it was going to die violently…he searched for some kind of escape pod before conceding defeat and carving himself a niche in one of the walls…hope returned to him as the wall began to seal itself around him…he saw a flash of light…felt immense pain…and then there was nothing…

_Myk-Ron Dinn, can you hear me?_

_I’m fairly sure he can’t…_

The voices were much closer this time and he thought one of them had said his name. With some effort, he tried to push through the mists that enshrouded his mind.

_No…he is fighting! Can’t you feel it? He’s trying to break free!_

It was the voice of an old man. It sounded excited, and yet gentle at the same time. Again he pushed, harder this time, at the fog.

 _Yes_ , the old man said, and suddenly there was a hand reaching down through the fog. _I’m here to help. Climb, Myk-Ron Dinn. Take my hand, and break free of your prison! You’ve been away too long. Breathe in life once more!_

He pushed harder this time and clasped the hand extended to him…

His eyes snapped open and shut just as quickly. “Blast it’s bright in here!” Myk exclaimed. “Where am I, Tattooine?”

“The lights! The lights!” An older man shouted, his voice giddy with excitement. “Turn down the lights!”

Myk heard the soft footsteps of a child run across the room and pause. After a moment, he slowly removed his hand from his eyes and opened them. Above him, hovered an anxious-looking old man in traditional brown Jedi Robes. His hair was long and grey and his beard grew to the middle of his chest. The smile he wore warmed Myk from the inside out even though he didn’t recognize the man.

“Good morning, young Master Jedi,” The old man said. “Coincidentally, it is, by the way. We’ve been waiting for you to wake up for quite some time now.”

“The Vong?” Myk asked as he looked around the room. It appeared to be an older version med-bay from a pre-clone wars era ship, but it must have been transferred groundside. There was neither the background hum of engines nor the indistinct feeling of artificial gravity.

“No longer a problem, or so I’ve heard. Apparently, they’ve gone home.”

“Well, at least there’s good news,” Myk said as he swung his legs over the side of the bed he was laying on. “Where am I?”

“Actually, Myk-Ron,” The old man sighed. “Those of us left aren’t even sure…”

“What do you mean, ‘those of us left’?” Myk asked as he stood and stretched out the biggest kink in his neck he’d ever had. He was picking up something strange through the Force, but it wasn’t quite deception…it was more of a hesitation to tell the whole truth.

“Perhaps, you’d better sit down, Myk-Ron.”

“And how is it you know my name?” Myk asked. His mind was focusing more sharply with every breath he took. The Force flowed through him once more and he honed his attention on the man before him.

“Please, sit,” he said. “This may take some time, and it may come as something of a shock. I assure you, young Master, that I mean you no harm. Nor do I wish to deceive you. I merely hesitate because some of what I have to say will be difficult to hear…”

Myk studied the man’s face, and could read nothing but sincerity. From the Force, he felt nothing but honest concern emanating from the man. “Just how long have I been out of it?”

“First, let me introduce myself, my name is Jorus C’boath…”

“You’re _who_?!”

“Jorus C’boath.”

Myk raised the back of his hand to his mouth to stifle a laugh. “Right…and next you're going to tell me that I crash-landed on the Outbound Flight’s final resting place.”

“Well…to put it rather bluntly,” Jorus began. “Yes. I know it sounds hard to believe…”

“Oh it’s not hard to believe,” Myk retorted. “It’s _impossible_ to believe. For one thing, Admiral Thrawn destroyed the Outbound Flight, and he was not one to leave a job only partly finished. Secondly, the project was launched before the Clone Wars, and Jorus C’boath was in his sixties then. Were you who you claim to be, you’d be…”

“One-hundred and seventy-five years old yesterday,” C’boath said with a grin.

“Happy birthday - no, I mean, wait, _huh_?”

“Well, that was quite eloquent," C'baoath chuckled. "I seem to recall you being far more articulate.”

"Regardless," The old man continued before Myk could jump in. "Believe what I say or not, it doesn't matter. What matters is simply this: you live, and you are needed. Much has changed in the galaxy since we found you battered and bruised here on what remains of a grand Jedi expedition. As I said the Vong are no longer a problem, but there is greater darkness growing. Such a thing has not transpired in this galaxy for hundreds of millennia, and yet even now as I speak it is happening. The Sith have risen, the Jedi are failing, and war is upon them. Someone you once cared for deeply is at the heart of it all, and I'm afraid the pressure may prove too great for even one as resilient as she to handle.

"For all these reasons and more, we have watched over you, waiting for you to rise so that we may tell you of what has transpired. Unfortunately, you slept far longer than expected and we are running out of time. Know this, Myk-Ron Dinn, she needs you...but not like she needed you in the past. As I said, much has changed in the galaxy...there are things you will find that you are not going to like in the least...it is not mine to say what these things are, but I will warn you to be strong."

"There is a ship just down the hallway from this room. It is what we had dubbed a 'Jedi Starfighter.' It is hyperspace capable, and you will find that Coruscant is already plotted in the navicomputer. Now, I am afraid that I must leave you. I have already stayed too long..."

"Whoa! whoa whoa!" Myk exclaimed as he massaged his temples with his fingers. "How do you know all of this?! Who are you _really_?"

"I am who I claim to be," C'boath replied as he stepped back from the hospital bed.

For the first time, Myk noticed that the old man was an odd shade of blue, and his jaw dropped. He shook his head and regained his composure. "I thank you, Master C'boath," he finally said as he bowed to the specter. "Peace be with you."

"Force be with you," Jorus C'boath called as he faded into the Force.

For a moment, Myk-Ron Dinn continued to stare at the spot where the old Jedi had been standing. His eyes moved upward until they fell on a locker next to the 'fresher. Inside, he found an old black flightsuit, much like the one he had always worn back in his squadron days. Wordlessly, he took the flightsuit and went into the 'fresher.

It took ten minutes for him to shower, shave, and be ready for flight...he was a little slow after his obnoxiously long nap. The ship was exactly where the specter said it would be, and after a thorough preflight check, Myk deemed it worthy of travel. He had no idea how long it would take to reach Coruscant from where he was. After all, he didn't know where he was.

He checked the blaster at his side. He hadn't fired a shot in his battle with the Vong and the old DL-20 still registered a full cartridge. His lightsaber hung on his left, he'd already checked on that. Sighing, he fumbled through the old and worn flightsuit he'd woken up in and found his pack of smokes. There were only two left. He lit one and then tucked the other behind his ear. He took a long drag and exhaled slowly. He didn't know what was going on out there, but as he stretched out with the Force he could feel the turmoil spreading.

Someone was tipping the scales again. One side was weighing in too heavily and the chaos of the Force was being reigned in. The Balance was being lost and Myk wasn't about to let that happen. He threw the finished t'bac to the ground and smothered it with his foot. The silver-domed R2 unit in the Jedi Starfighter tootled a greeting as Myk climbed into the cockpit and began firing up the repulsor coils.

"Sparky, huh?" Myk said as he guided the ship out of the hangar and threw in the sublight engines. "Well, Sparky, plug in the fastest course to Coruscant and hang on. We're about to step into something huge." The little droid chirped away and the course appeared on Myk's heads up. In an instant, stars flared into starlines and he was soon surrounded by the mottled sky of hyperspace.

Myk yawned. "Sparky, make sure you wake me five minutes before we get there, okay?"

The droid beeped an affirmative, and Myk let himself fall into the Force.

* * *

"Uh...sir?" Lieutenant Akeya called.

"Yes, lieutenant?" Harp sighed. These damn rookies were everywhere. As if he didn't have anything better to do than teach these bumbling idiots everything they should have learned about Traffic Control at the Academy.

"Sir, you might want to see this," Akeya said.

"Yeah," Harp snapped. "That little blinking light means you're being hailed. You might try answering and maybe it will go away." He walked off before the kid could reply and stormed over to his mug of 'caf.

_"Um, unidentified...what the hell is that thing..."_

Myk heard over the com, followed by a muffled curse and the distinct sound of a mug of 'caf hitting the floor. The Rogue Jedi smiled.

"It's a Jedi Starfighter," Myk replied over the com. "From before you were born, kid. Now put someone in charge on."

_"Uh...sir?"_

Clearly the ATC on the other end hadn't yet figured out how to mute the mic. as Myk-Ron could hear every curse and scream of the senior ATC. There was a sound like someone hitting the microphone with a large object and then there was professional silence.

 _"Unidentified fighter,"_ Came a cool, crisp voice. " _You are ordered to stand down and prepare to be inspected."_

"Finally, someone I can talk to," Myk sighed audibly. "Now you listen here, buddy. I need to speak with Arie Luxkert-Thrawn Dinn immediately. I need clearance to land, military hangar, Imperial Palace, now."

 _"You will wait for further..."_ The speaker faltered as what Myk had just said caught up with him. There was a short laugh and a polite cough. _"Right, and next I suppose you'd like us to clear an entire section of the sky so you can pilot comfortably as you descend?"_

Myk just grinned in his cockpit. It was time to pull some rank. He just hoped the code he had still worked. "I don't like your tone," Myk said, putting all the military muster and weight he could into his words. "Do you have any idea who you're talking to, here? This is Commander Myk-Ron Dinn of the Silver Blades, New Republic Navy, serial number 3263827. My clearance code is Gamma, Foxtrot, Alpha, Alpha, Dantooine. You get me that clearance on the double or so help me, I will have you serving coffee in the Academy cafeteria before I'm through with you."

 _"Uh...by the stars...Forgive me, Sir,"_ The senior ATC called back. " _Your clearance is granted and we've forwarded a message to General Dinn. Your pad has been cleared and is waiting for you. Welcome home, Sir!"_

"Thank you," Myk smiled. "Now, get that kid back to work and try to relax."

_"Uh, yes sir, thank you, Sir."_

Myk-Ron Dinn couldn't help but notice how different Coruscant looked as he wove his way through the durasteel canyons. There was far too much green...he'd have to ask someone about that later. In the near distance, he saw the spires of Imperial Palace.

Gently, he lowered the ancient fighter into his old spot in the military hangar. Tech crews did double takes and stared at the ship. Myk paid them no heed. The fighter touched down without a bump and Myk-Ron immediately popped the hatch. The familiar sight of X-Wings, Y-Wings, and the techs scurrying about warmed his heart. But, along with these familiar shapes, the Rogue spotted several bits of machinery the likes of which he’d never seen before. Giant humanoid forms of an alloy he didn’t quite recognize took up a good third of the hangar. Catwalks and hoverlifts surrounded these behemoth machines, and techs and droids scrambled over, in, and around them.

Still contemplating these strange new…vehicles, his eyes fell upon a more than familiar sight. They went wide and his heart nearly caught in his throat. There, in front of him sat his ship. The _Firebird_ gleamed in the light of the hangar glowlamps, surrounded by a red velvet rope. She was beautiful...and fast too if she still ran. The YT-2000 series by itself was nothing special, but Myk had poured heart and soul into his baby and the _Firebird_ was a force to be reckoned with on her own. Caught in a sort of dream-like daze, the Rogue crossed the velvet line and ran a hand along the underside of his ship. A commemorative plate had been placed on a pedestal before the boarding ramp.

 _“Myk-Ron Dinn, Commander, Jedi Master, Love”_ It read. “This ship remains as token to your life, preserved and maintained forever with love. You are missed, Rogue.”

And signed below the etching were myriad names of well-wishers, friends, and family alike. Myk saw Corran Horn and Wedge Antilles, Han and Leia Organa-Solo, Brink Cadre, and in the middle, more beautiful than anything he’d seen thus far, “Arie Luxkert-Thrawn Dinn, General, Phoenix, Eternally Your Princess.”

Tears threatened to take the Rogue, and he again gazed up at his ship. He was still admiring her when he felt a familiar presence burst through the doors…


	5. Chapter 5

_Not the way I would have preferred,_ Arie thought to herself _. But, it was good to see that Bothan scurry out with his tail between his legs. The council and the senators know now that the Bothans were behind things. Their Anzati counterparts are guilty by association as well. So, it’s a win...but, how much of a win, really? With Bane pulling the strings, can I really take this at face value?_

Her datapad beeped steadily at her side. She quickly scanned the alerts as she moved down the ornate hallways of the senate building. Dozens of messages awaited her, more than a few from holojournalists wanting her comment on the day’s events. She’d tackle that mountain of PR later. The camera jockeys could sweat for a while. She sent an order to Maxell to hold all calls for her except those of top priority. Her aide de camp was a smart man. Truth be told, she was grooming him to replace her when the time came...if the time came...but, she’d never let anyone know that, least of all Maxell.

Her bootheels clicked rhythmically on the stone floor. Rounding a corner, she entered the skywalk to Imperial Palace. It was one of the few joys she took in her job, these „inspection“ trips to the military hanger. As general of the entire New Republic armed forces, inspection tours were hardly a duty that required her attention, but somewhere deep down the pilot in her relished each trip around the massive hanger. She returned the salute of the guards posted outside the entrance to the Imperial Palace and continued through the huge triple-thick durasteel doors.

Her pace slowed as she walked down the halls of the palace. To her left, giant wooden doors lay open to the grand ballroom. Inside, she saw waitstaff and catering carts, droids, busboys, and decorators scurrying about in a frenzy. Tables were being set up, flowers hung, white linen shone brilliantly beneath the crystal chandelier at the apex of the ceiling. Memories began to surface that had long since been buried. The ballroom filled with ghosts of the past. Friends, comrades, squadron-mates...it was Han and Leia’s anniversary party. She saw herself in a blue shimmer-silk gown. It was long and hugged her curves like a second skin. The slit up the right side went nearly to her thigh. She had to admit, her twenty-three-year-old self was stunning as she spoke in hushed tones with Leia near the bar. Then he was at her side, grinning that grin that was laser-etched in her mind. She knew this memory. Myk-Ron led her to the dance floor as the orchestra began playing a symphony from her homeworld of Coshack...

Arie shook her head, and the ghosts vanished. She swiped at a tear and checked to make sure nobody was around to see it. It wouldn’t do for the general to be seen in such a state. Why am I thinking of him now? She wondered as she continued on down the many and myriad hallways of Imperial Palace. Oh, Rogue. It’s been forty years. I miss you so. What would you even think of me now? She caught a look at herself reflected in the tinted transparisteel viewport on the right side of the hallway. She’d retained her figure, but white streaked her auburn hair, and lines had formed at the corners of her eyes and mouth. Her icy blue eyes held none of the fire she’d glimpsed in her younger self.

 _Stop it!_ She told herself. _You are a general. You are strong. You are the New Republic._

She continued on at a crisp pace, and soon saw the neon glow of the Crash Down Cantina, and the personnel door to the military hanger farther on. The guard post was adjacent, and two guards stood at either side of the door. As Arie strode by the cantina, a waft of t’bac and the scent of Whyren’s Reserve assailed her senses. _"Top score,"_ She heard Myk-Ron’s voice in her head. _"And, I tagged Skywalker and Antilles!“_

 _"Impressive as that is, my love,“_ Arie heard her own voice amid the cacophony of celebration. _"Your reward is a nameplate covered in grime in the seediest bar at this altitude.“_

 _'And the adoration of...“_ Myk began.

 _"Pilot wannabes, academy grads, and drunks,"_ Arie remembered smirking.

_"And my Princess?“_

_"And your princess,“_ Arie’s voice floated. _"Always.“_

"Ma’am?“ The guard’s voice broke her momentary daze. He stood, saluting and rigid at attention.

Realizing she’d walked up to the hangar door, Arie hastily returned the soldier’s salute and shook her head once more. Kriff it, She thought. Myk-Ron, I love you, but you’re driving me to distraction today. "Yes, Private?“ Arie said.

'Ma’am, ATC reported something rather strange just ten minutes ago,“ The guard reported. "A message was just sent to your office. I wasn’t privy to the details, but there is a Commander in the hangar with an ancient ship requesting to see you immediately.“

"A Commander is requesting an immediate audience with me?“ Arie shot the guard a quizzical look. "No commander of mine would so blatantly disregard procedure.“

"No, Ma’am,“ The soldier replied. "Word is he had an older version top-level security code, so ATC allowed him access to the hangar. I think he’s still inside. Com chatter is...weird.“

"Nevermind,“ Arie said, a flash of anger threatening to surface. Some hotshot is about to get the dressing down of his life. "Open the doors. I’ll see this ‚commander’ though he may wish I hadn’t when I’m through with him.“

"Yes, Ma’am,“ The soldier placed his palm on the sensor plate next to the door and it slid noiselessly open. "Very good, Ma’am.“

Arie strode into the hanger proper, her gait and expression inviting no room for interruption. She scanned the immediate area, and paused on the Jedi Starfighter parked in the middle of the complex. She’d not seen one since the Clone Wars, and yet there it sat in near-mint condition. The pilot was nowhere to be seen, but as she continued her scan of the area hot anger bubbled inside her. Beneath Myk-Ron’s freighter, running a hand along the ventral hull was a man in a worn black flightsuit. The velvet rope surrounding the _Firebird_ was laying on the floor and the man had his back to her. The thought of some random hotshot pilot with more ego than brains running his paws over Myk-Ron’s beloved freighter drove Arie nearly to rage. She stormed over to stand just five meters behind the man in black.

On closer inspection, she saw that it was a Commander’s flight suit from just after the Thrawn wars. Skipping over that curiosity, she crossed her arms, brought her full military weight to bear, and sighted the man in her cold stare. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t have you shot and dumped into the nearest garbage compactor, Soldier,“ Arie demanded. "You’ve broken nearly ever regulation, procedure, and law we have with your little stunt. And,-"

"I never was one to follow the rules,“ The man cut her off, and all the anger and venom in her drained in a nano-second. _That voice, the stance, the ancient DL-20 at his side...it couldn’t be._ She was day-dreaming again. She was hallucinating. Too much stress, too much work. That had to be it. It couldn’t be-

And then he turned around, and Arie’s heart leaped up to her throat. He stood before her, hale and whole and not having aged a day since she last saw him. Myriad emotions vied for dominance with logic in her mind, Joy being strongest among them. He moved toward her, a look of concern on his face. A look that she’d seen a thousand times on a face that was as recognizable to her as her own. She didn’t feel the datapad drop from her hands. She didn’t notice her knees buckle. She floated down into blackness with a smile on her face as she heard Myk-Ron Dinn cry out her name.

"Arie!”

The Rogue had her in his arms before she could hit the cold durasteel of the hangar floor. A tech nearby was shouting frantically into a com unit for a med team. "Easy, Princess," Myk-Ron whispered as he held her. He brushed a loose strand of hair from her face. "It's okay, you're okay." Myk slowly began channeling the Force into Arie's limp form, allowing the life energy to gradually wash over her in waves of warmth and caring. Her eyes fluttered open slowly and locked with Myk's own.

 _"Myk-Ron?_ " She breathed, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion and disbelief. "H-how? Have I died? Is it really you?"

Myk chuckled softly. "I don't really know the answer to your first question, sweetheart, but, no, you're not dead. And, yes, it really is me." He took her hand and laid it gently over his heart. "Stretch out. You know this heartbeat."

Arie closed her eyes and took a steadying breath. Myk could feel her gentle presence within his mind and his heart, and opened himself fully to her. She poked and prodded through his thoughts and memories, and Myk relived his experience out in the Unknown Regions once more as she sought the answers she seemed to need to know. Myk sensed her withdraw, and something else besides. Her signature within the Force, which used to burn brightly with the flames of the Phoenix, wasn’t nearly as strong as he remembered. He opened his eyes to find her icy blues staring directly into his. For the briefest of moments, he saw that flame behind her eyes. Just as quickly, however, it was gone; replaced with a tired sort of sadness.

“Oh, Rogue,” She sighed as she threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. “Oh, Myk-Ron, I’ve missed you so.” Her tears felt warm on his chest as a medic ran to where he held her on the floor of the hanger.

Myk waved the medic away, his gaze leaving no room for argument. “Princess,” Myk whispered. “It’s okay. I’m here. You know nothing could keep me from you forever; I’m so sorry it took me as long as it did.”

“But, Myk,” She said as she pulled away slightly, her eyes moist with tears. “You died, I felt it. I’ll never forget that day. I died that day. And, now, here you are holding me in your arms, and you don’t look a day older than the last time I saw you…how is this _possible_?”

“I wish I knew, sweetheart,” The Rogue said, fighting back tears of his own. “I remember dreaming. I remember dreaming of you, always of you. I remember being drawn…somewhere…but, then I’d see you, and stay. I don’t know, Princess. I don’t know how I ended up on that rock, and I doubt I could find it again. I’m not even sure that waking up and seeing Jorus C’boath wasn’t just another part of that dream. All I know is that I had to come back. I had to find you…”

Arie’s eyes sparkled, and the smile on her face warmed the Rogue, but again it faded and tears shone once more in those icy blues. “Myk…I’m seventy-four…I’ve been remarried, I’ve had twins by another man, I have a grandchi-“ The words were tumbling forth when she stopped altogether and her eyes grew wide. “Oh, Myk! Kevin! Kevin’s…our son…he’s dead.”

The tears flowed freely and harder this time as she collapsed once more into his arms, her sobs muffled against his chest, and the Rogue’s heart broke and the tears did finally come. He held Arie to him and tried to keep his heart from cracking in two. Images of his boy, sixteen and whole, flashed before his eyes. His determined gaze as Myk said what would be his final farewells all those years ago…Arie didn’t have to tell the Rogue how he’d died. Somehow, Myk-Ron knew. Pride and despair warred within his heart for dominance, when the Rogue felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to find the medic leaning over them, concerned.

“Sir,” The young man said. “Perhaps we can get you and the General a private room in the med bay?”

Myk looked around, his mind slowly registering the shocked and curious looks of the crew techs and mechanics within the massive hangar. Numbly, he nodded his agreement. He helped Arie to her feet; her head still buried in his shoulder, and let the medic lead them out of the hangar. They entered the med-bay, and found a secluded room. The medic brought them a blanket and set something warm and sweet-smelling in a couple of mugs on the table. “It might help,” He said as he exited the room, closing the door behind him.

“Arie,” Myk whispered when he’d found his voice. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here. I’m sorry those damned Vong ever showed up. I’m sorry I wasn’t here to take Kevin’s place…I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault, Myk-Ron,” She said, sniffling as she pulled out of his embrace far enough to run her hand along his cheek. “You were…dead.” A small smirk tugged at the corner of her lip as she gazed at the Rogue before her. “What are we going to do, love? We’ve missed so much, how do we get all those years back? How do we go on? I’m so old…”

“Shhh,” Myk interrupted her as he placed his hand beneath her chin, gently raising her eyes to his. He stroked a strand of her hair, and, through the tears, a roguish grin began to spread on his face. “I know I’m shallow, but just how shallow do you think I am?”

“Oh, Myk,” Arie laughed weakly. “I’m serious.”

“I know, Princess,” He sighed. “It doesn’t matter to me how old you are, I’m just happy to have found you finally. As for the rest…we’ll figure it out…we’ll figure it out…”

They stayed there for an hour, neither speaking, entwined in a hug that went deeper than their physical bodies. The Force inside both of them intermingled, and their minds danced in moderate joy at the bitter-sweet reunion…

* * *

 _Something feels different_ , Steffan thought as _White Squall_ was beginning to start approaching her exit vector for hyperspace. He had seen the old fighter on the scanners after it entered the system, curiosity rising a little inside him as he watched it. But there were gentle ripples in the Force coming from this fighter, growing more and more.

_There's something more to this._

"Turn the ship around," he told Andrea as he started to focus more on the feeling. "Get ATC to give you clearance for the Palace."

"What is it?" she asked as she changed heading.

"Something different in the Force," he said as he started a mild meditation to get a better idea of what was happening. "This new visitor....I'm feeling something powerful from the pilot."

_Who is this?_

The sound of bootheels on tile grew louder until they stopped altogether just outside the door to the small room Arie and Myk were sharing. "Sir,“ Myk heard the medic just outside the door. "You can’t just barge in here, the general and her visitor need some time to recuperate.“

'Now you listen here, Son,“ Myk smiled at the familiar voice and brogue accent. "I was flying with Arie against Imps before you were born. You’re gonna let me by, or you’re gonna wish you had.“

Arie smiled at Myk. "He never does change,“ She sighed.

"I wouldn’t have it any other way,“ Myk smiled back.

"Sir, I really must protest-“ The medic stammered before Arie cut him off.

"It’s okay,“ She called through the door. "Let him through.“ The door slid open with a rush of air, and Brink Cadre came charging into the small med-room. "Arie, are ya okay? Did you hit your head? What happened? I keep telling you to slow down, but do ya listen? No. Are you sure you’re not hurt? Can I get ya-“

"Brink!“ Arie exclaimed, placing a hand on either shoulder. "I’m fine, really. Calm down. It’s okay. I just fainted, but it’s okay. I...uh...well, I don’t know how to say it...“

"Say what, Arie?“ Brink stared hard into her icy blue eyes. He had completely blown by Myk-Ron without really noticing that anyone else was in the room. His sole attention had been on Arie. So, when Myk placed a hand on Brink’s shoulder it was with some surprise that Brink spun around to face the Rogue.

As their eyes met, a range of emotions played across Brink’s face. Confusion gave way to joy, anger, surprise, shock, elation, and myriad other emotions. When the smuggler finally regained control of his senses, he hauled back and caught Myk-Ron with a right hook that sent the Rogue to the ground.

"Brink!“ Arie cried.

'What the hell-“ Myk started to say as he got to his feet. His air left him in a rush, though, as Brink enfolded the Rogue in a forceful bear-hug that lifted Myk from his feet.

"By all the stars in every sky!“ Brink exclaimed, finally setting the Rogue down and holding Myk-Ron at arm’s length. "I gave up a long time ago asking 'how' but, Force, Myk-Ron...look at you! You damned, damned Jedi!“

"It’s good to see you too, pal,“ Myk smiled. "And, I’ll work on the 'how.’ I imagine there’ll be more than a few questions. I just don’t have any answers yet. I...well...this is a lot for me to take in too.“

'You’re tellin’ me,“ Brink grinned even more. "You died almost forty-five years ago, and here you stand. It’s enough to make the mind go soft.“

"Forty-five years...“ Myk-Ron felt his knees give way, and Brink’s happy expression turned to one of concern. The old smuggler eased Myk back onto the small bed Arie was sitting on.

“Yeah,” Brink said. "It’s been a long time.”

“I’m sorry,” Myk sighed as he rubbed his temples. “My brain is trying to make sense of it all, and failing miserably right now. I think I just need some time...”

“Well, you’ve got it now, buddy,” Brink said. “You’re back, and you’ve got all the time you need. You want some whiskey?”

“Brink!” Arie exclaimed. “I’m on duty, and Myk-Ron just returned from the grave. You really think now’s the time for hard alcohol?” Brink just gave her a blank stare. Arie held his gaze for a moment before she couldn’t hold back the laughter anymore.

Brink smiled expansively and patted Arie on the shoulder. “For a moment there,” He said. “I was worried you really hit your head hard.”

Myk-Ron joined the laughter as Brink broke out a flask and grabbed three medical cups from the cupboard nearby. Myk accepted his small cup of whiskey and took a sip. The amber liquid pooled on his tongue and he breathed in the woody aroma before letting it slide down to his stomach. It warmed the Rogue from the inside out, and he relished the feeling.

“I don’t even know where to start or how,” Arie sighed, sipping her own drink.

“Well,” Myk said. “This will sound strange coming from me, but maybe we could take it nice and slow like for a day or two. There’s so much changed...so much catching up to do...and I know you guys have more questions than I can answer right now. I have more than a few myself.”

“Wherever you went, Myk,” Brink said. “Seems you grew up a bit, even if it doesn’t look like it.”

“Oh, Rogue,” Arie sighed as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

There was motion outside the door once more, and the medic sounded positively flustered. „Master Karrde, Jedi Gseran, Master Ainar,“ He said. „This is most...well...the general already has visitors. I’m quite sure they need their rest. Perhaps if you came back later...“

“Nonsense,” A voice said in reply. “We can go right in. She’s expecting us.”

“What am I saying?” The medic sounded genuinely mortified. “You can go right in. The general has been expecting you!”

Myk shot a quizzical look at Arie, and she just smiled at the Rogue as the door wooshed open behind them...

"I would've thought better of you than to use that technique on a medic," Arie told the first person walking through the doorway.

"Well, sometimes the usual rules need to be...'bent' just a little," Steffan Karrde said as Ainar and Callista came in behind him. It didn't really crowd the room, since Arie's rank would accord her a larger room in the medical wing. Steffan nodded to Brink, receiving on back, as Callista went over to check Arie. The stranger in the room...but he seemed so familiar...was still looking at the Cataani and trying to make his own deduction on what was going on. _There is a lot of power moving through him. This is the one I felt flying the fighter._

"I guess introductions are in order," Arie said, sitting up on the bed, motioning to Myk. "This is Myk-Ron Dinn."

Steffan saw Ainar's eyes open in a combination of shock and surprise, Callista's even more so.

Surprised himself, Steffan only let a smile start to grow on his face. "I have never believed in coincidences," he said as he looked over Myk, "But weren't you dead?"

"I would've answered yes to that until a few minutes ago," Brink answered next to Steffan.

"I'm sure the story will thrill everyone," Myk said, still looking over the three newcomers to the room. "And you three are....?"

"Myk, this is Steffan Karrde," Arie told him. "The current ranking member on the Jedi Council. This is Ainar Algeron, another Jedi Master and one of my former students. And this is Callista Gseran, another Jedi."

"Jedi...." Myk said, his voice telling Steffan that there were more questions later. "Karrde? As in..." Steffan almost laughed with that question, always the first one asked when a person first meets him. "Yes. Talon is a somewhat distant cousin. And, before you ask, he's still doing what he does best."

Myk semi-laughed at that, still holding a little back from these three strangers. "I'm sure you have questions...you all do."

"Not important at the moment," Steffan said as he raised a hand to forestall the explanations. "I wanted to see if Arie was alright. We can talk and know what all is happening later."

"Oh, really,“ Arie protested. "I’m fine. It was just sort of a shock is all. You worry too much, Steffan.“

"I know," The Catanni replied. "Some things just can’t be helped."

"Please, Master," Callista, started. "At least let me look you over. If for nothing else, it will ease my mind."

Arie sighed in mock frustration. "Oh, very well," She said. "But, only because it’s you, dear-heart."

Callista placed a hand on Arie’s shoulder and closed her eyes.

Arie’s eyes tracked around the room and locked with Myk’s. _I hope you’re holding up, love,_ She sent. _I imagine this is a bit overwhelming for you._

 _Oh, I’ll manage,_ Myk-Ron’s voice was calm and gentle and reassuring in her mind. And, she nearly started crying again. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed his presence, their connection _. This Steffan, I want to fight him._ The Rogue grinned at her.

'Oh, I’m sure we could arrange something,“ Steffan looked to Myk. "Though, I’d suggest we wait until later. The temple has some fine sparring rooms.“

The others looked at Steffan with eyebrows raised at the non-sequitur.

"Impressive,“ Myk-Ron crossed his arms and examined the black-haired Master more closely. "I didn’t know eavesdropping had been added to the Jedi curriculum.“

"Oh, I meant no offense,“ Steffan said. "You were thinking rather loudly though.“

"None taken,“ Myk said. Arie thought she sensed Myk’s presence diminish to a whisper then. Though it had been so long since she’d really used the Force. It was hard to tell. _Be nice,_ she sent Myk-Ron.

 _It’s okay._ His words were quieter in her mind this time like a whisper barely heard. _I think I might actually like this guy._

She grinned at that, then jumped as her pocket started vibrating. A steady beeping sound emanated from her datapad, and she quickly scanned the view screen. Priority message from the council, Arie read. Damn. Gotta take that. "I’m sorry everyone, but I have to go,“ She said.

Myk’s eyebrow shot up in surprise. "You always snap-to when you’re called?“

"Part of the job,“ Arie replied. "You would have known that if you hadn’t kept passing up promotions.“

"No thanks,“ Myk raised his hands in surrender. "I’d go mad stuck behind a desk. Starfighter Command is where the action is. Though I suppose your toys are a little bigger.“

"Her _toys_ ," Ainar finally spoke. "Are battleships and battalions. Lives. She commands the entire joint forces of the New Republic military, and you would do well to show some respect. Even if you are who you claim to be.“

Arie didn’t need the Force to sense Myk’s temper flare. The Rogue fixed Ainar with a gaze that would melt durasteel. Arie had seen that look before, never directed at her or any of their friends, but it was look Myk-Ron would turn on a pilot who’d stepped out of line under his command...or an enemy. Before she could even say a word, and before the Rogue had a chance to retort, Brink interposed himself between Myk-Ron and Ainar.

"Now you listen here, _Master_ Algeron," Brink said, his voice calm but tinged with ice. "You don’t know how Myk and Arie operate, and you don’t know Myk-Ron, so I’ll let this slide for now. But if _anyone_ is being disrespectful, it’s you. This man is a war hero. He’s saved my life more times than I care to remember, and he’s saved Arie’s as well. His honor is beyond question. You’d do well to remember it."

Ainar met Brink’s gaze and held it a moment before nodding and looking away. Arie could sense his unease. Myk-Ron, too, felt a little off-put, but the Rogue had reigned in his temper and simply looked at Arie. _He’s one of yours, huh?_

 _Yes, dear,_ Arie sighed. _And, a good man. He’s just been under stress lately._

The temperature in the room had seemed to drop a few degrees. Arie spoke into the silence, casting a wry grin on Callista. "Sometimes, I love my job,“ She smiled. "It’s a great excuse to slip away from the boys. All this testosterone is enough to make a girl sick."

The comment brought a light chuckle from those present. Even Ainar allowed a small grin.

"I really do need to go," Arie continued. "I ought to be able to wrap things up by dinner. What do you all say to dinner at my quarters tonight? Perhaps there we can all sit down and start chewing through all that’s happened and is happening right now. Steffan, perhaps you and Ainar can focus on Darth Bane’s reappearance? His involvement casts everything that’s going in a new light, and we need to know more. Brink, why don’t you take Myk-Ron around and try your best to fill him in on things. Callista, if you could stay with Brink and Myk-Ron?"

Steffan nodded. "New events mean new data. I’ll try to have some information by dinner. Do you mind if Andrea comes along?"

"Not at all," Arie smiled. "The more the merrier."

"Good," Steffan smiled. "We’ll take our leave then." And, he and Ainar filed out of the room.

"Myk-Ron," Arie said. "I really am sorry I have to go like this. It will only be a few hours. I’ve still got my- our place on the presidential level. I’ll see you there after?"

"No worries," the Rogue shrugged. Though, Arie could sense he was distraught even beneath the layers of defense he had set up. "I think a good walk would help calm my mind enough to figure some things out."

"Good," Arie smiled. "I love you, Rogue."

"And, I you, Princess."

They departed then, Myk and Brink leading with Callista trailing behind. Arie sighed and shook her head. _Myk-Ron, love, I can hardly believe you’re back. But so much has changed...and you...you’re just as I remember. How can I expect this to work? I’ve grown so old, and I have so many responsibilities now._ Responsibilities... _Shassa_! Arie quickened her pace and sent a message for Maxell to meet her outside her office. They’d need to be quick in getting to the Councilors if she hoped to be home at a reasonable hour. _By the stars, this galaxy will be the death of me._


	6. Chapter 6

"...And, then along comes this doctor, don't ask me why they call him a doctor - never fixed anyone in his life - but he scraps together this monster of a machine. Calls it a mobile suit. Bit more than just a suit I'd say. The thing was just about indestructible. Caused a lot of damage until Steffan got Blue Talon. Anyway, you know how technology goes, that first one sparked a lot of interest. Now everyone wants 'em..."

Brink continued on like that as he, Myk-Ron, and Callista toured the hangar. He pointed out the newer ships and the latest line of X-wings. Myk nodded here and there, taking in what Brink was saying and committing most of it to memory. It was, despite Brink's constant assurance that he wasn't doing a good job, fairly comprehensive detail of the military and technological advances over the past forty-five years. Brink looked like he might cry when he told Myk that the _Firebird_ was no longer the second fastest ship of its kind. The Rogue smiled at that, “Just means I'll have something to do in my spare time.”

Callista was mercifully quiet. She was watching the Rogue, Myk assumed she was monitoring his heart rate and such to make sure he was holding up. Being back from the dead could apparently take a lot out of a guy. Myk-Ron felt Callista's gentle touch through the Force and allowed her in just under the surface, but kept the rest locked down, suppressed. He wasn't sure just how much he wanted to let the others see. Arie and Brink he trusted completely, but he didn't know the others...

Myk sighed as they strode by a squadron of A-wings, sleeker than he remembered them, and decidedly more dangerous looking. _Arie_. It was a familiar thing, her being on his mind. But then, that was usually just because he couldn't stop thinking about her. Her 'dismissing' them from the room as she had. The fact that she was even returning to work, even if it was just for a few hours when he'd just effectively come back from the dead. It felt so... _wrong_. While Myk's ego did sometimes get the better of him, he still couldn't believe she'd want to leave him so soon. He would have thought she'd call off work for the rest of the day, stay with him, talk, figure things out...Instead, she retreated to her office, and whatever that message had contained.

"Myk?" Brink said, casting a sideways glance at the Rogue. "You been listenin' to a word I been sayin'?"

"I'm sorry, Brink," Myk shook his head. "You were saying something about the new hyperdrives?"

"Junk," The old smuggler wore a disgusted look. "Sure they can produce more power, give ya more speed, but they're tiny. Technology gets better, things get smaller. They're a real pain to work on anymore. And, after-market tuning? Forget it. They're designed to spec, and the instant you try to push them above spec," Brink made a noise like an explosion. "They're just expensive lumps of alloy and wires."

"That's too bad," Myk said. "I was thinking of doing some shopping for the _Bird_."

"Oh, I can help ya with that," Brink smiled as they continued around the hangar. "While the techies have been working on the new drives, there are still some enthusiasts out there toying with the older models. They figure if we can get so much power from such tiny drives, why not mod the older ones with even more? And with the Bird, who knows what we can do?"

"Sounds great, Pal," Myk tried a smile. It didn't quite stick.

"You okay, buddy?" Brink looked concerned.

"You radiate anxiety, Master Dinn," Callista spoke up. "Though you hide it very well. Perhaps we should go somewhere more relaxing? We could go to...um...I guess it's your apartment as well. It would be quiet. Perhaps give you some time to rest your mind?"

"You're pretty good at that," Myk flashed the younger woman a rogue grin, but even that familiar expression faded soon. "Yeah, that sounds okay. Sorry, Brink...my mind just isn't here right now."

"When is it ever?"

Myk-Ron chuckled in spite of himself and the dour mood he'd sunk into. "True enough," he said. "It's just...everything is so different now. And, Arie..." The sentence died on his lips. She doesn't feel like she's even there anymore...no...that's not it. She's there, but buried. Buried deep. What's happened to my galaxy?

"She died a little when you didn't come back," Brink said, somber. "She'll come around. With you back, she's bound to come around. But, yeah, let's head to your place now. I happen to know where Arie stashes the really good stuff."

"Brink," Myk said, his words failing him.

"I know, pal," The old smuggler replied. "No worries, huh?"

"Care to join us, Callista?" Myk-Ron asked. "Hanging around with a couple of aging space-rats probably isn't your idea of fun, but I wouldn't mind the company right now. It's never good to leave me alone with my thoughts."

Brink shuddered in mock horror. "A truly dangerous thing that."

Callista smiled. "It would be my pleasure, Master Dinn."

" _Myk_ ," the Rogue said as they turned to leave the hangar. "I've never been much inclined to formalities."

"Thank you," Callista paused over the word, as though being informal were a task nearly beyond her. "Myk."

The trio wound their way through Imperial Palace, arriving at the old apartment on the Presidential Level in short order. Myk-Ron paused outside the door, a million memories flooding in on him at once. Clamping down on the lump rising in his throat, the Rogue placed his hand on the sensor panel and stepped over the threshold...

The Presidential level of Imperial Palace was a masterwork of architectural design. Spreading across nearly the entire width and length of the Palace, it rested on the top floor. The ceiling was eighty meters high with UV glowlamps hidden behind a sheet of photoscopic transparisteel. The light shone through the transparisteel during the day, and the shield opaqued at night with tiny pin-point lights to simulate a starry sky. The apartments were built in blocks, houses really, complete with lawns and flora from each residents native homeworld. The "streets" were narrow, no landspeeders were allowed, but some residents had purchased converted pilot shuttles to drive around the luxurious neighborhood.

Arie and Myk's apartment was built along the western wall of the palace. Their house butted up against the wall, leaving the Dinn's with a front lawn only, but providing them another accouterment they'd both wanted. The back door of the house opened onto a balcony with a commanding view of Coruscant and the Manaari Mountains in the distance. In the front lawn stood a giant coniferous tree native to Coshack, and roses from Corellia lined the small walk to the front door.

Ostentatious was the word. And while Myk and Arie had never been prone to luxury, after the Thrawn War the two had been awarded the lot. It would have been the height of arrogance not to accept such a generous gift. Aside from that, most of their friends had places in this section of the Palace. Still Myk and Arie kept the construction of their new home modest. It was designed with elements of Corellia and Coshack. A one-story ranch home with three bedrooms, a small office, the living room, dining area, kitchen, and two refreshers. They're one concession to luxury was the large spare room they'd converted into a personal gym.

The scent of the place nearly overwhelmed him as he entered the unlit entranceway. Corellian hardwood from the kitchen, Coshakian rosewood in the living room, traces of Arie's favorite perfume floated from the back of the house. The lights slowly came up, sensors detecting his presence. Myk-Ron slowly walked into the living room and stepped into the past. _He heard Kevin in his room, playing with the Solo twins. He saw Arie, her hair tied up in a ponytail with a blue ribbon, in that blue silk robe she loved, sitting on the lounger smiling his direction with a glass of sparkling Coshakian champagne._

_"Myk-Ron! Look at this place!" Her smile broadening. "We could park the Bomber in the living room!"_

The Rogue staggered forward and grabbed the back of the couch, steadying himself against the barrage of memories. _"Dad!" Kevin's voice. "Dad! Look! I made an X-wing! It's just like yours!" The boy was twelve, and he had the sofa cushions, blankets, and a kitchen chair in the living room in front of the holoprojector. A children's flight simulator was playing, and Kevin gripped the control yoke in grim determination. "I'm gonna blow up the Death Star! Watch, Dad!"_

Myk-Ron didn't feel his knees buckle, didn't notice the tears flowing down his face, didn't hear Callista's gasp or Brink's expletive. His mind spun, and his heart snapped. He should have been here. He could have fought alongside his son in that war. He could have protected him, taken his place, something. Instead, he'd been stuck in limbo. In a trap within his own mind, and he'd been too weak to break free on his own. He wasn't sure if he was speaking, but he felt his lips move, and heard a ragged voice whisper, "Kevin..."

There were hands-on him then, strong hands. He was lifted to his feet and spun around. His danger sense flared, and the memories vanished. His right hand had blocked the blow already, his left clamped down on the forearm, and a quick application of torque and his assailant was laying on the ground before him. It was then that Myk saw his attacker had been Brink.

"There ya go," The old smuggler was laughing. "I knew that'd snap you out of it."

"Really, Commander Cadre," Callista looked positively mortified. "He was in shock, and your answer was to attack him?!"

"It worked, didn't it?"

"That's beside the point!" Callista flushed, Myk had yet to see her show so much emotion. "He's clearly not adjusted yet! The psychological damage you may have just caused could be irreparable!"

"Oh," Myk said finally, his voice a bit hoarse. He cleared his throat. "I don't think he could really do much harm. I'm not generally known as the sanest person around." The Rogue threw her a conspiratorial wink.

Callista huffed in exasperation. "Corellians!" She threw her hands in the air and retreated to the kitchen.

"You need to be more careful, old man," Myk said, helping Brink to his feet. "I could have really hurt you."

"Old man?" The smuggler scoffed. "It'd take a lot more than you to hurt this 'old man!' And, besides, Callista sure wasn't going to do it."

"Yeah, well, thanks," Myk turned to look back at the living room. The ghosts had vanished, the crisis averted. He'd never experienced anything like it before. "Being dead really takes it out of you, ya know?"

"Nope," Brink said. "Never had the pleasure."

Myk laughed and felt the warmth flush back into his body. Brink chuckled too, then grew serious.

"You gonna be okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, I think the worst of it has passed," Myk-Ron said. "And, hey, I'm still mostly sane. Nothing could hurt worse than what I just went through, so I'd say I'm safe."

"Well, good," Brink said. "You've got a reputation to keep. Let's get some whiskey from Arie's stash and try to convince Callista not to tell anyone what she saw here today."

"Oh, this will be fun," Myk-Ron smiled, and felt his old strength starting to build. "I can also start working out the how's and why's of my being back. With luck, I'll have some answers by dinner."

"Or you'll be too drunk to care."

"Either way, I win!"

Shaking her head, Callista ducked into the kitchen. She could still hear the two men talking faintly, though she tried not to eavesdrop. She had to admit, she felt slightly out of her element. Arie's training aside, she had led a rather sheltered existence until that fateful encounter back on Corellia. _'So much had changed since then...'_ She could understand some of Master D- Myk's pain, she corrected herself. Losing her Master had been like losing the only family she ever had. Myk had lost his son, and his wife had walked away from the Jedi path.

With a sigh, she pushed away from the counter just as Myk and Btink entered the room. They were talking amongst themselves, and Myk was carrying a dark-colored glass bottle. Obviously some type of booze. If she knew one thing about him, she did know that. She smiled slightly before nodding to them. "My apologies, Commander Cadre, Mas - Myk." she corrected herself. "I wasn't expecting you to do something like that, Commander Cadre... From what little I do know of Myk's history, I should have." Her tone was apologetic. "I'm sorry if my words were harsh earlier, I'm just trying to do my job," she finished quietly. Nodding to the bottle in Myk's hand, she smiled. "What have you got there, Mtyk?" She was silent for a moment. "I heard you talking about dinner. Should I start preparing things?" She grinned after a moment. "Sorry, just not used to the quiet, I guess. Do you think the General would mind if I invited a friend of mine, Xan Qenadius?"

* * *

Far away from all of this, in one of the sparring rooms of the Temple, there were two masters practicing. It was a match that had been agreed upon since the two had not seen each other in ages....years even. One had taken the path of the wanderer, the other having to center himself in everything that was going on...and had decided that the wanderer was especially needed for the task at hand. The wanderer's purple blade moved with swiftness and assuredness....the other's blue-silver met it with the same skill and determination.

"You've definitely studied more," Steffan said with a small smile as he countered the other's attack and pressed with one of his own.

"It's been necessary," the Jedi known as John Olorin answered with a grin as he blocked Steffan's strike. "Since when have I been this close to matching you?"

"Not since the Academy!" Steffan said with a laugh, the duel was more fun for them than anything else. The two had been instant friends when Steffan first arrived at the Jedi Academy and both considered the other as brothers. With the training that Steffan had received from his father with the sword before the Academy, he had always had the advantage, but Olorin was always learning from each match.

After a while, they wound down and retired to Steffan's quarters in the Temple, catching up on old times and such.

"Steffan," Olorin said as Steffan poured them each a glass of Cataani whiskey. "You didn't send me a special message asking me to return to Coruscant just for sparring and catching up."

"No, I didn't John," Steffan answered as he sat down. "I need your help....and its something that I can't trust to many others."

Olorin leaned forward, listening intently. "The Sith?"

"More to it," the Cataani told him. "Our 'old friend' has returned." Steffan knew that his choice of words would strike a chord in his friend. Olorin stood up from his chair slowly and walked to the windows, looking out over the cityscape. Steffan could feel the mixed feelings coming off from him. This was a particular past that wasn't easily forgotten by either of them.

"Bane," John said as he kept looking out, sipping his drink. "I lost track of how it has been since we dealt with him."

"Myself as well." Steffan walked up beside him, knowing the history. Bane's last meeting with them was like a game of dejarik that no player in the galaxy could have imagined. It left bitter feelings in the two Jedi. Enough, in fact, to where it had driven Olorin from his seat on the Jedi Council...for he had been a leader on the Council. Steffan, having felt the same drive, stayed and did his best to fill the role left as the leader of the Council. "I know this is going to be hard, but we have to know what he is doing?"

"Couldn't you go to Korriban and find that out," John spat out.

"I would if I thought it would help us," Steffan told him. "But they have left there. Ainar and I had to rescue a young healer there and discovered that. Ainar was wounded in the event. I don't even think he has recovered emotionally from it."

"Ainar....." John. "I didn't know, Steffan."

"I didn't want to have to bring you into this, John," he told him. "I knew how close you came to the edge against him and I would not have put you in that position again. But you got close to him. You are probably the only one that could find him."

John looked out, kept that look before turned to Steffan. "I should have done it a long time ago, Steffan. If you needed me, then I should have. We'll find him."

The two gripped hands, the warrior's grip, and finished their drink before leaving.

* * *

Myk cast a sideways glance at Brink, then both looked to Callista with wry grins on their faces. "No worries,“ said Brink.

"No worries; I know; Whiskey; if you feel like it; no worries again; and, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind," Myk finished.

Callista laughed and shook her head, and Myk-Ron could sense some of her nervous tension slipping away. The Rogue took a seat at one of the three stools arrayed at the portion of the kitchen counter that jutted out from the wall. Many a hasty breakfast had been eaten there before, and mid-day snacks, and sometimes dinner...he smiled at the memory. Arie, Myk, and Kevin had probably eaten in here more times than they ever actually used their dining room. Brink set the glasses down and joined him. 'What time is it anyway?“ Myk-Ron asked as Brink poured some of the Whyvern’s Reserve into his tumbler.

Callista glanced at the chrono on the wall above Myk’s head before sitting down on the other side of the counter-top. "Seventeen hundred,“ She said. "Master Arie should be home soon. Perhaps I will start something.“

"And call that Xan while you’re at it," Myk nodded. "Might as well meet all the new faces I can now, and get it over with."

"Oh," Callista covered her mouth with both hands and blushed. "How stupid of me! I don’t wish to overwhelm you. This should be a quiet evening with only a few people.'

"Don’t worry about it, Kid," Myk assured her. "I’ll be fine. I had a little trouble earlier, but that crisis has been averted. Which, by the way, could we not mention that to anyone? I’ve kinda got a reputation to keep, and it can’t get out that I had an emotional break-down and cried like a toddler with a skinned knee.“

"Master Dinn!“ Flustered, Callista fell back into the comfortable formality. "You’ve been, from what I’ve understood, dead for forty-five years. The galaxy has changed drastically. And, you’ve awoken to find most of your friends gone. You should be comatose from shock alone right now. Having a moment of weakness as you entered a house you haven’t seen in that long that holds such strong memories is hardly unexpected and is nothing to be ashamed of.“

"Oh, it’s not shame,“ Myk smiled. "I just like to play things a little close to the vest, if you know what I mean.“

"He’s a big boy,“ Brink chimed in. "But, don’t let him fool you into thinking it wouldn’t put a dent in his ego if everyone knew.“

"Thanks, laser-brains,“ Myk glared at Brink.

"Anytime, nerf-herder.“

Callista cast an exasperated look at both men before sighing in defeat. "Very well, I’ll call Xan,“ She said. "And, I’ll start working on dinner. I suppose you do know better what you can or can’t handle, Master Dinn.“

"Thanks, Callista,“ Myk sipped at his whiskey. 'I hope you don’t mind if a couple of rim-rats sit here and pester you as you work.“

The young Jedi set a knife and a cutting board on the counter in front of Myk. "If you’re in the kitchen, you can help with the cooking,“ She said, smirking.

Myk and Brink looked at each other, smiled, and then snapped to attention and saluted with a military precision that shocked and surprised Callista enough to make her drop the bowl she was holding.

"Myk-Ron Dinn, New Republic Commander, Starfighter Command, reporting for duty,“ the Rogue said.

"Brink Cadre, New Republic Commander, Starfighter Command, reporting for duty,“ Brink followed.

"Um...“ Callista fumbled with the bowl she’d dropped. "As you were, gentlemen.“

Both men burst out laughing.

"Orders, Admiral?“ Myk asked.

In answer, and with a devious smile of her own, Callista presented the now full bowl of tubers before the two. The look of horror on their faces was hysterical. "I think you may have done this before, so I’ll not get into the details,“ She said, holding back laughter.

"Wow,” Brink said, taking a tuber and a paring knife.

"She catches on quick,” Myk finished the smuggler’s sentence and began peeling a tuber himself.

* * *

The meeting with the councilors took far less time than expected. The Bothan senator had fled the planet within an hour of his storming out of the council session earlier that day. The Anzati were quick to follow. Without more solid evidence, the New Republic could not legally take any action against the Bothans or the Anzati beyond suspending them from Council hearings and revoking their diplomatic immunity. The Council agreed that they needed to be dealt with, but the law was clear. Until the Bothans or the Anzati posed a real military threat to the New Republic, they could take no military action against them. For now, it was decided, they’d wait and watch and continue to investigate the issue.

 _And I knew there would be reporters,_ Arie thought to herself. _But, I wasn’t prepared for them to be waiting outside my office._

“General! General!” One reporter shouted. “Is it true that the Bothans and Anzati have fled Coruscant? Is it true that they’ve stolen plans for a new mobile suit?”

“General!” Another tried to get her attention. “What about the ancient starfighter that landed at Imperial Palace earlier today? Some claim that it was piloted by a ghost. Others say that it was a droid-flown craft following some ancient homing beacon.“

“General!“ Eventually, all the voices drowned each other out. It was a sea of incomprehensible noise and flashes.

 _This is going to take some time,_ Arie sighed before raising a hand to quiet the small crowd. "I know you have many questions,'' She began. "And those that I can answer without breaching security, I will. But, you will have to wait. Suffice to say that we are handling all situations with speed and wisdom. I will have a press conference tomorrow morning in the conference room adjacent to the Senate Hall at oh-eight-hundred hours."

“And the ancient starfighter, General?”

"Yes,” Arie rolled her eyes. She knew the reporter. He worked for a local tabloid and was highly prone to flights of pure fantasy. "We will answer all your questions about the craft, and, no, it was not flown by a 'ghost.’"

There was some light laughter, and that reporter grew quiet. Though the look in his eyes told Arie that he wasn’t quite convinced. Ah well, Arie nearly shrugged. Let him have his delusions. I know the truth of the matter, and I can hardly believe it. She looked back to the crowd. "There will be no further comment for today," She said, and she could feel the news jockeys’ disappointment. "I’m sure you can all find your way out.“

The sea of cameras and reporters filed out the ornate double doors of the Headquarters like a herd of dejected children.

'You’re quite good at that, General, if I may say so."

Arie spun on her heel. _That voice..._

A man sat on the bench just outside her office door. An old man who had taken to carrying a walking stick carved from Alderaanian crystal. He rose slowly, but there was no shake to his movements, not a hint of fading strength. His hair was still long, but all grey now. His goatee was grey as well. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes had grown deeper since last she saw him, but the intelligence that gleamed behind this man’s eyes shone brighter than any other aspect of his face. Arie took a breath.

“Talon,” She said, taking his offered hand. “I’d swear, if I didn’t know any better, I would think someone had teleported me into the past. What are you doing here? Retirement getting boring?”

“You could say that,” The aging information king shrugged. A sophisticated gesture when he did it. “Shall we go into your office? I assume you sweep it regularly.”

“Of course,” Arie smiled. “It wouldn’t do for the General to have an office that wasn’t completely spotless.” Talon Karrde held open her door, and they went inside. The office was large and offered a commanding view of the Palace Promenade via the wall sized transparisteel viewport behind Arie’s desk. The viewport could be opaqued as needed, and Arie used that little trick now. The lights came up in the room to make up for the sudden drop in ambient light. Karrde eased himself into one of the chairs in front of her desk, and she slid into her chair. The information king placed a small device on the table and flipped a switch. Little lights blinked red, then yellow, then green and stayed there.

“It’s not that I don’t trust you,” Karrde smiled.

“But, you don’t trust anyone,” Arie returned his gaze.

“Indeed.”

“So, what brings you here, Talon?” Arie asked, her hands folded atop her desk. She surreptitiously checked the chrono on her desk _. Seventeen hundred. Any meeting with Karrde is too important to pass up or put off. I’ll just have to hope this doesn’t take too long. Myk-Ron, I’m so sorry. I hope you are holding up...wait a minute...of course he is. He’s Myk-Ron. Love, I think I’m going crazy. What are we going to do?_

“Business, I’m afraid,” Karrde actually looked sad. “You see, I like playing the middle. There’s more profit when you don’t take sides. But, your furry counterparts don’t share the same idealistic view. They’ve hit several of my associates, without provocation. And, for that reason, I’ve been forced out of retirement. To tell the truth, I was terribly bored, but this is not the way I would have preferred to make my...return.”

“So the Bothans and the Anzati aren’t playing by the rules,” Arie smirked. „What do you want us to do about it? They’ve done nothing illegal that we can prove, and I doubt you’d report them to the authorities. Your associates probably have longer records than the Bothans do.“

“They aren’t playing by any rules,” Karrde sighed. “And, I don’t want you to do anything but what you feel is right.” The man slid a datacard toward Arie. “On that disc, you’ll find holo-recordings with time-stamps and navigational data that I believe you will find quite...proving.”

“And, how much does the New Republic owe for such convenient information?”

“Call this one a 'good faith' payment,” Talon grinned. “I give you this, and you do what you do best. In this case, it’s a mutually beneficial arrangement. Fair trade, and all that.”

Arie eyed the man with some suspicion, but he spoke the truth. If the information on the datacard really held the proof the NR would need to initiate military action against the Bothans, well, the NR got what it want and the pressure they would put on the Bothans would divert the furry backstabber’s attention from Karrde’s endeavors. She couldn’t sense any duplicity in the man, though her Force skills were, she admitted, not what they used to be. It was flowing easier now that Myk was back, and she wondered about that. It seems to wash over me whenever we’re near each other. It’s...refreshing. Something happened to him wherever he went. Something’s changed, but I don’t know what. He’s so much...stronger in the Force? No, that’s not quite it. It’s like the Force is drawn to him...

“Do we have a deal?” Karrde arched his eyebrow at Arie’s momentary lapse.

“Sorry,” She refocused on Talon. “It’s been a busy day. Yes, we have a deal.”

“Good,” Karrde said as he stood. “I’ll take my leave then.” He pocketed his device and went to the door. He paused in the open doorway and looked back to Arie. “Don’t worry about being distracted. I imagine if my Shalla came back from the grave, I’d be distracted as well.” And before Arie could say anything, he was gone.

 _That man knows far too much about far too much,_ Arie shuddered. He’s brilliant, no doubt, but it’s scary sometimes the things he knows. She looked at her chrono again. _Shassa! I’m going to be late after all._ She scooped up her datapad, the datacard, and her notes. She left a message for Maxell to come to dinner. It would be good to have his near-perfect memory on hand. There were sure to be a lot of questions, and he’d be handy with some of the answers. Checking her office once more for anything she may have forgotten, she killed the lights, locked the door, and took off at a brisk pace for home.


	7. Chapter 7

Their duty complete, Myk and Brink retreated from the kitchen, Callista shooing them away so she could work in relative peace. Brink flung himself onto the sofa in the living area and propped his booted feet up on the low table in front of the holoprojector. He sipped his whiskey and leaned back into the soft confines of the plush couch. "You know, Myk," He said, his eyes closed and a content little smile on his face. "I think you've come back just in time. With all that's been goin' on in the galaxy, with Arie's job eating her alive...there's so much...bad. With you here, I feel like maybe, just maybe, this galaxy isn't quite as dark as I thought it was."

Myk-Ron stared out the plate-glass doors leading onto the balcony. The suns were just beginning to set and the sky was every shade of orange and purple. The Rogue smiled a sad sort of smile. "Thanks, Brink," he said. "No pressure, right?"

Silence answered.

"Right, Brink?"

Myk-Ron turned and suppressed a laugh. The old smuggler had fallen asleep; his glass of whiskey still in his hand and content expression on his face. Without a word, Myk-Ron slid open the glass doors and stepped out into the fresh air. The sounds and lights of Coruscant at dusk rushed in on him like a tidal wave of sensation. He loved this world. Sure, go deep enough, and Coruscant showed you just how ugly the seedier parts of the galaxy could be, but there was still life. So much life, crammed onto one rock. The Force didn’t just exist here, it thrived.

Myk closed the doors and lit a stick of t’bac. He set his whiskey on the patio table and went to the railing. He leaned on it and stared out at the sea of activity that was Coruscant at dusk. _Yup_ , He thought. _I can sense you out there. I know what you want. I know you aim to plunge this galaxy into your dark utopia. I don't hate you for it, it's just your nature. But, you failed to calculate something into your equations. See, my friends and family call this galaxy home. By setting your goal, you've placed them in harm's way, and that is unforgivable. I will stop you. I'll be here, waiting. So make your move, strike hard and swift. I'm ready for you._

 _And, my unkown enemy, I can assure you beyond a_ _doubt that you have never, ever come up against anything quite like me..._

Arie ran her hand over the sensor plate and stepped into the past for the, feels like the hundredth time today.

Myk-Ron stood out on the balcony, the sunset casting the Rogue in silhouette in a pose that she'd seen a million times before. His hands resting easily on the railing, the varnish worn and smooth beneath his hands from years of doing just that. He had always loved that balcony. He'd said it helped him think. How you could think clearly in the riot of Coruscant's sky, I may never know, Arie thought with a smile. But, I guess that's just you, isn't it Rogue? She swiped at a tear, stifled a laugh when she saw Brink snoring away on the couch, and put her datapad and notes on the hall table. She heard Callista in the kitchen and could smell the beginnings of dinner. She'd go help the young woman in a moment, but first...

She hurried to her bedroom and tore out of the military uniform she'd been wearing all day. She cast the clothes on a chair in the corner and pulled open her wardrobe. She pulled on a pair of loose-fitting pants, and a civilian shirt a shade of blue that matched her eyes. She shook her hair out of the tight bun she'd been wearing under her officer's cap, and pulled it back into a loose ponytail, tied with a piece of blue ribbon. She checked herself in the mirror and was pleased that age had not softened her figure. She slipped quietly through the living area, Brink still snoring, and out onto the balcony. She closed the doors quietly behind her and looked at the Rogue. He still had his back to her, and she slowly moved up behind him. She wrapped her arms around his waist, and rested her head on his shoulder, breathing in deeply his scent. _Oh, how I've missed that, Rogue!_

Myk-Ron chuckled. "And, I was afraid I wouldn't smell that great," He said, turning in her arms to lean back on the railing and wrap his own around her. "I haven't had a chance to hit the 'fresher yet."

"Myk-Ron," Arie looked into his deep brown eyes, traced her hand along the scar on his left cheek. Words left her. She felt something stirring inside her that she hadn't felt in ages. At first, she wasn't sure what was going on, and it scared her for a moment. But, the sensation grew stronger, and she recognized it at last. The Phoenix was awakening. She'd found her mate again, and her joy spread through Arie like fire. It was a sensation she was intimately familiar with, and yet she hadn't felt it in so long that it startled her with its strength. Cautiously, tentatively, she reached out in the Force.

Her presence mingled with Myk's and it was like a maelstrom within the Force. Phoenix and Rogue danced in the cool night air to a tune only they could hear. When they finally parted, the great bird settled inside Arie. Its presence cooled but did not vanish. The comforting warmth lingered, content within her, and she felt better than she had in...I can't remember the last time I felt like this.

"Hello to you, too, Princess."

"Hey, there," Arie actually blushed. _When was the last time I blushed?!_

"So...big dinner tonight?"

Arie laughed. "You always did do a lot of thinking with your stomach," She hugged the Rogue closer. "Yes, sweety. And, I should probably help Callista with the food. Poor girl's probably in a state cooking for so many people. Don't stay out here too long, Rogue."

"I'll be in in a minute," Myk-Ron said. "Just collecting my thoughts."

"Okay," Arie slid open the door into the house. "Don't you vanish on me again."

"Never," The Rogue said, his eyes locking with hers. She didn't know how, but somehow she knew without a shadow of a doubt that there was never a truer word spoken. Myk-Ron Dinn would never leave her again.

Smiling to herself, she went to the kitchen. Steffan, Ainar, and Andrea would be arriving soon

Callista had heard Arie enter the apartment, and a soft smiled touched her lips as she watched the General make her way to the bedroom and then the balcony where Myk-ron stood. ' _Those two..._ ' She watched them for a moment before turning back to the pot on the stove, adding various spices to the soup she had made from the tubers. The scent of the herbs wafted through the kitchen for a moment as the steam rose from the pot. It would keep for a moment.

Turning from the stove she quietly made her way to the living room and covered Brink with a blanket that had been draped over the couch, setting his glass carefully on the coffee table. Then she returned to the kitchen. As she began spooning the soup into bowls, she heard Arie re-enter from the balcony. A moment later, she entered the kitchen. "Good evening, General..." Callista greeted her, passing her a hot cup of caf that she'd been keeping warm. "The soup is finished. I wasn't sure what else would be good so I made a salad, and some bread to go with it. I know...Ma - Myk-Ron and Commander Cadre prefer whiskey, would you suggest anything else?" she asked politely, brushing her hair from her face.

She let out a breath. "General... I hope you don't mind, but I'd like to invite a friend of mine... a Master Xan Qenadius. He works with Jedi Intelligence. I met him during my recent mission to Rendili..." She flushed then, her stomach flip-flopping nervously. She chewed her lip for a moment. "He's Mandalorian... so don't be surprised if he shows up in his _beskar'gam._ " She grinned slightly, remembering how'd she'd gotten the shock of her life when she met him. She fingered her comlink for a moment, awaiting Arie's answer. She hadn't told Xan of her experiences on Korriban, but her might know anyway, being a Master. Her cheeks flushed again as she remembered. She'd been rash..

Arie shot the younger woman a quizzical look. "You already run this by Myk-Ron?"

Callista nodded and suppressed a giggle. "He said to ask you."

"Oh, _that_..." Arie sighed. "He thinks that just because he's back from the dead he can pull the 'go ask your mother' routine? Of course, your friend is more than welcome to join us. Having someone from the intelligence division here could prove useful anyway."

Steffan was the first to arrive, with Andrea behind him. Myk was surprised to see the young lady following behind the Jedi Master.

“Of course,” Steffan said as he saw the look. “Introductions first. Myk, this is my daughter, Andrea Karrde. Andrea, this is Myk-Ron Dinn.”

“Dinn?” she asked as she looked him over, more questions forming. “Daddy, you didn’t tell me….”

Myk laughed at the scenario. “I wouldn’t have thought that you’d have kept who she was meeting from her.”

“You have to expect surprises,” Steffan said to him, and to Andrea as well. “Don’t worry, angel, something like this, I shouldn’t have tested you that way.”

“Yes,” Myk told her. “Yes, I am Arie’s husband from so, so, long ago.” Steffan couldn’t help but crack a smile, then sniffed the air. “Well, I can see that we arrived close to time,” he said to everyone. “I guess we need to start getting acquainted."

"Long story, Kiddo," Myk said to Andrea. "I've got some ideas, and I'll explain once everyone is here."

"Whazzat?" The voice came from the couch in the living area behind Myk.

The Rogue looked over his shoulder at a disheveled Brink. The old smuggler tossed off the blanket, looked around, sniffed the air, and smiled. "Good," he said. "I haven't missed anything important."

Myk-Ron chuckled and motioned for Steffan and Andrea to come in. "Nope," Myk called for Brink. "You're just in time to help me put the extenders in the dining room table."

"Bleh," Brink said as he slowly got up. "I _knew_ I woke up too soon."

Myk and Brink set to the task of setting up the dining room while Steffan and Andrea visited with Arie and Callista in the kitchen. Ainar showed up soon after the Karrdes. He eyed Myk with suspicion before joining the others in the kitchen. Next to arrive was a man Myk-Ron had not yet met.

The door chime rang, and Myk-Ron answered to find a tall man dressed in civilian clothing, and looking particularly uncomfortable about it. _Career military?_ Myk thought. "You must be Callista's friend, Xan," Myk extended a hand to the stranger. He gripped it at the forearm. _A warrior's greeting. There's something about this guy..._

"Xan Quenadius," He said, releasing his grip. "Intelligence division, Jedi Council."

"Pleased to meet ya," Myk said, stepping aside and allowing Xan to enter. Myk watched his walk, shoulders square, leading with his center, a lightness in his step but confidence in his gait... _can't be? I thought they were nearly extinct..._

" _Kom'rk tsad droten troch nyn ures adenn..._ (the Gauntlet of the Republic)" Myk said.

Xan stopped in his tracks and turned to regard Myk with open curiosity. He folded his arms before finishing the old Mandalorian proverb, " _Dha Werda Verda a'den tratu_ (They were the wrath of the warrior's shadow). You speak _Mando'a_...who are you?"

"Myk-Ron Dinn," The Rogue replied with a grin.

"I've heard that name," Xan's eyes unfocused, and Myk could feel the man stretching out to him through the Force. _A Mando_ _and_ _a Jedi?_ "He was a great warrior, but I'd heard he'd fallen long ago."

" _Nu kyr'adyc, shi taab'echaaj'la_ (Not gone, merely marching far away [Mandalorian phrase for the departed])," Myk replied. He allowed the stranger to probe his surface feelings and thoughts but locked down the rest.

Xan finished his probe, and a smile tried to tug at his lips. It looked like an expression he struggled with often. His brows furrowed, but he simply said, " _Su'cuy_ , Myk-Ron Dinn. I have a feeling this will be the most interesting dinner indeed."

"Buddy, you don't know the _half_ of it," Myk-Ron grinned again and followed Xan into the living area.

Not long after Callista had put her comlink away, she heard Myk answer the door chime, and a familiar voice sounded in the entryway. _He was here_.... She saw Arie give her a sideways look. The older woman obviously was picking up on Callista's emotions. Her stomach flip-flopped nervously before she risked a peek into the living room. _'Yup, he really is here'_... biting down on her mental commentary she leaned against the kitchen counter for a moment before she felt steady enough to enter the living room. Smoothing her robe, she entered the room. "Master Qenadius.... I'm glad you could make it..." It took every ounce of control she had to keep her voice even. _Why was she reacting this way?_ she hardly knew him...

Xan smiled widely at Callista, not really caring how it seemed to others. "Ahhh _Cal'ika_ , Good to see you as well. Thank you for inviting me. Though I must confess, I feel like I'm standing out like a sore thumb." he said. Mandalorians were known to be blunt even about themselves. Rather than stay silent about feeling uncomfortable he'd rather be open about it and have done with it.

She blushed slightly. "I.. suppose introductions are in order then. You've met Master Dinn already." Her lips quirked as she saw Myk twitch. She then gestured to Steffan and Andrea. "This is Master Staffan Karrde. He's the saber instructor here at the temple. Next to him is his daughter Andrea, and Master Ainar Algeron." She moved around the room, this time to Brink. "Commander Brink Cadre..." He too seemed to twitch, but Callista ignored it for the moment. "And last, but not least, General Arie Luxkhert - Thrawn Dinn. Head of New Republic Military..." She trailed off then, slightly flustered by Xan's attention. With a glance to Arie, she asked. "If you'll excuse me, General?" At Arie's nod, she gestured Xan into the kitchen, letting out the breath she'd been holding as the door slid shut behind them.

"Well now, I take it there's something you want to ask me? It's not often I get called by another member of the order." Xan asked, trying to be as polite as he could be. Something was definitely up with Callista. she seemed flushed and off-guard.

"I... uh." She stopped and took a breath. "I'm sorry for that. Guess I'm not used to this kind of thing..." she sighed. A moment of silence passed before she spoke again. "I invited you because you are my friend...and I feel there might be more..." she stopped then, and flushed crimson, wondering if it was merely a case of hero-worship.

Xan scowled a bit, not in anger but in thought. "More?" He asked and stood there quietly for a few seconds before the truth hit. "Ohhhh......" Callista blushed crimson then, and turned away slightly. "I...I'm sorry. That was very forward of me..." Her voice was quieter now. Ever since she'd first met him, she'd felt... _something_. 'Would he think any less of her if he knew of what had happened not long ago?'

Xan smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. " _Nayc_ , actually I prefer forward. It saves trouble. and for me being a Mandalorian and a Jedi feeling and hearing things that don't fit with each other is highly annoying..." He sent her soothing signals through the Force to ease her mind. "But there is a lot we still don't know about each other. I think we should take the time to discover these things. Slowly, that way no feelings are needlessly bruised."

Callista nodded quietly, reaching up to wrap her fingers around his hand. "I've just felt so out of sorts lately, and Rendili..." she broke off, not sure if she was ready to talk about Korriban yet. It was still fresh.

Xan continued to send the soothing signals. "Such is the life of the Jedi. And sadly it seems more than ever in the last few years, stability in the galaxy is nearly non-existent. We're going to have to get used to being this active."

Callista nodded. Hesitant at first, she moved to lean her head against his shoulder. "It's not just that. I've done some _stupid_ things...." her voice went even quieter as her thoughts turned to Korriban. She squeezed her eyes shut against the memories.

Xan felt her mind shift into a dark place, and she was fighting against whatever she was seeing. "Perhaps you should explain what you mean, Callista. The first step to overcoming something is acceptance."

She stiffened slightly. "I...." she hiccuped nervously. "When my Master was killed... I tracked his killer to Korriban..." her voice failed her then and she just stood there, her face buried in his shoulder as she inhaled the faint scents of ship engines. Xan sensed the raw hurt, the sense of abandonment she didn't quite acknowledge to herself yet. "Go on....let's hear it all."

"Master Faulkner was the only family I'd ever known. I was forced to watch him die right in front of me...." She stopped for a moment and wiped at her eyes. "I was captured....tortured..." Her voice was hardly more than a whisper. "I went on my own without backup.... Master Algeron came after me, and he fought the Sith Lord.... he's ...different now."

Xan scowled again. "You mean he's fallen?" he asked, trying to make sense of the puzzle.

"I don't know... but he's different now than he was...I feel like it's my fault that all of this happened..."

Now that was an remark Xan didn't like hearing so he pressed for an answer. "How so?" Her head dropped, and she refused to look at him. "What I did was stupid, reckless. Master Algeron is how he is now because of what happened when he came to rescue me..."

"If Master Algeron has fallen or not, the condition he is in now is his own choice Callista. His own battle. Not your burden. You didn't bring this on him. You may have been rash and impetuous but you didn't force him to fall."

"Still..." she looked away, ashamed. She'd placed so many people in danger because of her actions.

"Your actions may have been reckless but a Jedi learns from their mistakes, and does not hold on to lingering emotions from the past. You need to accept and let go Callista."

She chewed her lip for a moment in thought. "You're right..." she said after a few beats of silence. She wiped self-consciously at her eyes and took several slow breaths.

"I doubt Master Faulkner would want you to hold on to this either," he said smiling a bit more now.

A slow chuckle escaped her lips and she sniffled slightly. "You're right. He'd probably be telling me the same thing too." She took some more slow breaths, feeling her shoulders loosen slightly as she did so.

Xan nodded. "That's how insidious the Dark side is Callista. Grief and regret are tools for the sith to mold and twist lives. Just be aware of that."

She nodded and flushed slightly, feeling as if she were once again a Padawan. "I suppose we should go see what's going on...."

Xan grinned a bit mischievously "Not so fast." He sat down on the kitchen counter. "You should tell me how you developed these...thoughts."

Callista's mouth fell open in surprise. "I..uhm..." She fidgeted nervously with the hem of her robes. After a moment, she leaned back against the counter beside him, turning to face him slightly. "I won't lie when I tell you I was scared to death the first time I saw you... But you were kind to me, even though you didn't know me..."

Xan smiled "Well the scaring you to death part I'm used to. Mandalorians have a saying _'Ke nu jurkad sha Mando'ad, burc'ya'._ Don't mess with Mandos, mate. and for the intel field the _beskar'gam_ comes in handy.." he grinned "But also Mandalorians have a code of honor. You never give sloppy treatment to a friend. Since I'm a Jedi that includes the whole Order." he paused and smiled fondly "But you were different from that."

She looked at him quizzically. "How do you mean...?"

"You reacted to me as a Mandalorian would against any enemy, bravely. Prepared to take action if needed, with honor and respect to those bystanders caught in the midst of a battle." Her lips quirked. "I was just doing my job... There's more, isn't there....?" she asked after a moment.

"Well the fact that you argued with me, shows toughness. A characteristic that most Jedi overlook to me. but for the Mandalorians is a desired trait. Toughness of spirit more than anything else." Callista gave him a long searching look. "But I'm _not_ Mandalorian..." she told him with a gentle smile. as she reached over to pour herself a glass of water.

"Not everyone that's a _Mando'ad_ is born into the culture Callista. Jedi training is not the only training and initiation out there. Mandos have another saying ' _Aliit Ori'shya Taldin'_ Family is more then bloodline...meaning we adopt others simply if they wish to be Mando'ad and show the right qualities to be one. You have those you know."

She flushed again, for probably the tenth time that night. 'You mean that...?" Her voice was slightly awed and she took a slow sip of her water as she tried to gather her thoughts

"Mandos don't believe in lying or holding back the truth Callista. I wouldn't say this if I didn't mean it."

"I...don't know what to say...." she admitted after a moment of silence. _She certainly hadn't expected anything like this..._

Xan laughed. "Well if you do. don't hold back." Callista smiled, draining her glass before she set it down. "You said people can be adopted into this way of life... sort of like we are as Jedi?" She really was trying to understand. " _Elek, Cal'ika_." using the intimate name contraction he gave to her. "And like the Jedi there are codes we follow, 99% of them match up to the Jedi mindset as well." She tilted her head at him, getting the gist of what he'd said. 'That's the second time you've called me that. What does it mean...?"She moved closer until they were a mere arms-length away as she hopped up to sit on the counter beside him, her feet dangling above the tile.

Xan chuckled again "In Mando'a the suffix ' _ika_ added on to the first bit of a person's name usually the first 3 letters if the third is a consonant means little so and so. It intimate term used for fiends and comrades. So Cal'ika is little Callista." She smiled. "I like that... it fits." Letting out a breath, she found herself leaning on his shoulder. "The _Mando'ad_ culture sounds intriguing," she said the word carefully, trying to pronounce it correctly.

Xan chuckled. " _Mando'ade._...plurals usually are an e ant the end. Mando'ad is one Mando."

"Oh...." she giggled and ducked her head slightly. "I'm sorry..."

Xan laughed. "Well, you'll learn... that is if you _want_ to learn. "

"I'd like that...." she said quietly. "It seems like the two fit well if you're any indication," she joked gently, elbowing him in the ribs. Xan flinched, not used to being out of his armor yet still. that was reserved for more private moments or on Manda'yaim. "I do my best, it's hard trying to reconcile our two groups though at times still. "

"I guess it's one of those things you have to approach with an open mind. Much like Jedi training..." she smiled again and dropped her elbow, sensing the contact made him uncomfortable in some way. Then she glanced at the chrono over the stove. "I think we'd better get back out there.... they're probably wondering..." This time her eyes seemed to be laughing as she looked at him. Xan held her back one second more "So....you should know. those feelings you have...they're reciprocated." he said somewhat awkwardly. Her stomach flip-flopped again. "They... they are," she said in a tone of slight realization as she carefully reached out to him in the Force, his fingers against her arm.

Xan smiled gently "Come on....let's get this over with. I kind of feel naked right now." She grinned lopsidedly. "You do? I'm studying under the General herself.... Talk about no pressure, huh?" she replied, trying to lighten the situation just before they stepped back out into the living room.

* * *

They were all seated around the dining room table; Myk at the head of the table with Arie to his right, then Maxell, Ainar, Steffan, Andrea, Brink, Xan, and Callista. I wish Ter-Lon were here, Arie thought to herself. Poor kid is off training and doesn’t even know that his grandfather is alive and here on Coruscant...then again, maybe it’s best that those two meet somewhere quiet...

"So, Master Dinn,” Steffan said as he dished himself some of the delicious-smelling soup Callista had made. Arie and Myk both turned to look at him, and he stifled a laugh. "Sorry,” He smiled. "I meant‚Master _Myk-Ron_. I’m sure you have many questions, but perhaps you would be so kind as to share your story first? If we know what you know, our answers to your questions shall be more...informed.

Myk sipped at some of the soup and nodded. He seemed to take some time gathering his thoughts.

 _You going to be okay, Love?_ Arie gave his hand a squeeze under the table.

 _Sure thing, Princess_ , Myk sent back. _Thanks, though._

"Well, I guess I should start with the Vong," Myk-Ron began. "My squadron, the Silver Blades, was assigned to escort a convoy through Vong Space, and...hey, Arie, did they make it back?"

Arie nodded. "Yes, Love. Duo, and three others made it back to Coruscant. That’s how we found out about you. Duo lead the expedition to go back and get you immediately upon reaching Coruscant. By the time we got there though...there was just...nothing left." Reliving that particular memory nearly brought Arie to tears, but she could feel Myk-Ron’s reassurance through the Force, and he smiled at her.

 _It’s okay, Arie,_ He sent. _I know you tried_. "Good," He said aloud. "Duo was a good man. Anyway, we were ambushed. Long story short, I got tagged pretty bad and had to crash land in what I could only guess was the hangar on one of the Vong cruiser analogs. I fought my way to the bridge, thinking that I could maybe fly the thing out of there. But, when I killed the commander, the ship started to...die. It was some kind of self-destruct sequence. I didn’t have a lot of time, and there were no escape pods. I carved myself a little cubby in one of the walls and hoped that it would heal itself around me before the ship broke apart...“

"Smart thinkin’, that,“ Brink said around a mouthful of bread.

Myk threw the smuggler a wink. "Now, this next part is largely speculation because I don’t really have any clear memory of what happened. It also requires a bit of explanation. My master, Erb-Whettam Reylas was something of a maverick in the eyes of the old Jedi Council. He had studied things that many of them found to be...questionable. This knowledge, he passed on to me through my training. One such technique is something like the outcome of combining a Jedi Healing trance with a hibernation technique. This advanced state of...well...stasis allows the Jedi to stay asleep for far longer than normal. Years, decades even. The healing process of the technique keeps the Jedi alive, and slows the aging process. Outside myself and Arie, I’m not sure anyone knows about this particular trick.“

Steffan shook his head. "I’ve heard of it, but it’s not something that most Jedi know about.“

'It sounds... _unnatural_ ,“ Ainar said quietly.

"Perspective,“ Myk-Ron shrugged. "Well, in that fight with the Vong commander, I had fallen deeper into the Force than ever before. I think, as a sort of knee-jerk survival instinct, I threw myself into this Jedi stasis. But, I never set a wake-point. It’s a very important part of the whole technique as a Jedi who didn’t know what he was doing could potentially never wake up."

'So I think that’s what I did. I think I entered the stasis without a wake-up point. The ship blew, and my little chunk of coral floated away through space with me entombed within. This next part gets a little weird...“

“Because the previous portions have been completely run-of-the-mill," Steffan arched an eyebrow, and Myk-Ron laughed.

"Touche," The Rogue nodded before plunging on. "Somehow, my chunk of rock landed near what I think was the Outbound Flight’s final resting place. Someone, something, pulled me out of the wreckage and moved me into the medical facility. That’s where I woke up. I found a Jedi Starfighter, did a quick pre-flight, and burned space.“

'If you didn’t set a 'wake-up point’,” Ainar asked. "How did you wake up?“

"Unlike every other time I’d entered stasis,“ Myk-Ron answered. "This time, I had dreams. But, these dreams were as real to me as though they’d actually happened. I dreamt of you, constantly, Arie. I had a vague idea of what was happening, but I never could break through the fog of that dream-prison. I fought, and I fought, and I fought. It was torture. I re-lived my life in its entirety again and again...but it was always with a strange kind of detachment. I could see you, and I couldn’t touch you. You were right there, and you couldn’t hear me. I screamed, and thrashed, and tore at the fog around my head, but just couldn’t break free... "

"Something changed though. There was a shift in the fog, and it wasn’t as thick in one particular spot. I saw you again, Arie, through the fog, and I pushed. I fought harder than I knew I could, and the clouds finally rolled away."

"The R2 unit with the starfighter had kept updating its star-charts over the years and had a plot for Coruscant pre-set and ready to go. There was nobody there when I woke up,“ Myk-Ron decided against telling them about his long conversation with a dead Jedi Master. The story in itself was crazy enough. "I have no idea how I ended up in that medical facility or where the people that pulled me out could have gone. I just knew, somehow, that you needed me. So, here I am."

"Truth be told," The Rogue looked sad. "I think I was dying. Something kept pulling me toward...something. But, then I would see you again, Arie, and I’d fight it off. In a sense, you’re the only reason I’m alive, Princess."

The Rogue’s dark brown eyes locked with hers, and she could feel his love like a tangible thing. It enveloped her, and caressed her, and she could feel her cheeks flush. All those years, he’d never stopped searching for her. _All those years, he’d been out there, fighting to get back to her. And, I just accepted it. I just accepted that he was dead, and moved on. I should have never given up the search. I should have looked harder-_

 _And searched all of space for me?_ Myk-Ron Dinn interrupted her thoughts. _Arie, you did everything you could. You were alive. I’m glad you were able to live without me. It just means you’re strong. It’s one of the things I always loved about you. Yeah, I want to protect you, but I also know that you can take care of yourself. You're a fighter, like me._

'You two are doing it again," Brink said in a mocking sing-song voice.

'Doing what, Nerfbrains?“ Myk asked.

"You’re goin’ all quiet-like, which means you’re talkin’ to each other in your heads. You think you’re all sneaky, but, well, if you had this many tells when you played cards I’d be rich.“

Arie laughed, and Myk-Ron just smirked more. The Rogue took on a contemplative look and stared at Brink. He then made motions as though he were talking with the smuggler. Brink struggled to 'hear“ at first, then flushed when he realized Myk was making fun. He recovered quickly though by feigning shock. "Myk!“ he exclaimed. "Such talk! And, at the dinner table? I’m appalled.“

Myk said, " _Touche_.“ And nodded to his friend.

"Master Dinn," Callista said before hurriedly adding, " _Myk-Ron_. I’ve been doing some research on the Aing-Ti art of 'flow walking.’ Have you ever heard of it?“

"I have a general idea.“

"With your permission, I think it may be something to look into," the young Jedi continued. "Under the supervision and guidance of a Master or Masters, we could more fully explore the events regarding your 'death’ and return. Perhaps we could even answer some questions that you may have.“

"Give me some time to think about that, Kid,“ Myk seemed more than a little hesitant, and Arie wondered about that.

'Hiding something?“ Ainar spoke up again.

Arie sensed Myk’s flash of irritation, but he reigned it in. "How would you like me to delve into your mind, into your past, and relive events that you may wish to forget?“ The Rogue said, and Arie could sense the Force being drawn through him. 'How would you like it, if, say, we flow-walked with you to... _Korriban_?“

Ainar stood abruptly from the table, his hands clenched tightly. "You....you-“

"Not very pleasant is it?“ Myk cut him off, still seated, but Arie could sense his readiness should Ainar decide to attack.

 _Myk-Ron,_ she sent him, but the Rogue plunged on.

"Having a stranger delve into your mind and share such an intimate connection,“ He said. "It’s violating. I’m not asking you to trust me. I’m not asking you to like me. I’m asking you to try to think before casting judgment. And, this will be the only time I _ask_.“

Ainar looked as though he were struggling with his words. Arie wasn’t sure what to think. She cared for Ainar, without a doubt. She loved Myk-Ron. Myk did have the slightly higher ground. Ainar had been throwing little jabs at the Rogue, but then again... _this is still my house, and I’ll not have a brawl over dinner!_

"Ainar, _sit down_ ,“ Arie commanded. He paused for a heartbeat, met her eyes, and sat down. She didn’t even have to look at Myk to know a smirk was tugging at his lips. "Myk-Ron, darling, I understand, but you won’t be thrashing anyone over dinner, so don’t gloat. Ainar is a friend. I trust you both. And, if either of you has any respect for me, you’ll stop this posturing, and at least be civil to each other.“ The two men eyed each other for a long moment. Arie could tell they were waiting for the other to crack first, and she feared that nothing she had just said got through. Then, to her utmost surprise, Myk-Ron shook his head, sighed, stood up, and extended a hand to Ainar. "You are not my enemy,“ the Rogue said.

"Nor are you mine,“ Ainar replied cautiously. He took the Rogue’s hand, shook it, and both men sat down.

_Thank you, Rogue._

_No, sweety,_ Myk’s voice was slightly subdued within her head. _You’re right. I do get a bit hot-tempered sometimes, and Ainar is not my enemy._

Steffan cleared his throat. "Well, Master Dinn,“ he said. "You’ve answered our question to the best of your ability. It’s only fair that we now try to answer yours.“

"I’ve sensed something, Master Karrde,“ Myk-Ron replied. "I can go to the library to learn the major events that have transpired since I’ve been away. My concern right now is this...malevolence. This lurking power. So, tell me. What’s going on now, and who or what is behind it?“


	8. Chapter 8

Steffan nodded softly, having his own thoughts about the scene that had just played out. Ainar's behavior wasn't like him, and it worried him. I'll have to deal with this later. He leaned forward after he moved his dishware out of the way, forming his thoughts. "How much do you remember about the Sith?" Just the mention of the name caused a change in mood.

"Last I had thought," Myk began to say. "Was that Vader and Palpatine were the last."

"I wish that were so," Steffan said after a few moments thought. "Over the years, we've had to deal with what seems like an increasing number of them."

"More of them?"

Steffan nodded and continued. "As Arie hinted to earlier, there is one in particular that we have run into before that has really tested us more than anything else."

"Bane," Arie finished. "'Testing us' is quite the way to put it, Steffan. I wouldn't have thought our last encounter as a test."

"I feel he's building to something greater," Steffan said. "It would explain why they no longer follow the Rule of Two."

"Excuse me," Callista interrupted, Xan also looking inquisitive. "The 'Rule of Two'?"

"Through history," Andrea said, taking this part after a nod from her father, "the Sith had always followed what they called the Rule of Two...only two Sith."

"A master and an apprentice," Myk finished.

"Yes," Andrea continued. "Daddy and I had been looking at this for a while and we think that Bane might be starting to follow a Rule of One."

"A number of Sith warriors, adepts, and others," Steffan said. "With one Lord calling the shots."

"So, how does this play into the whole situation now?" Myk asked him.

"With the increasing tensions between the Bothans and more of the other groups of the New Republic. I'm seeing that this is starting to become what Master Windu called a 'shatterpoint'." Steffan explained as he looked at everyone. "Bane probably is seeing this as well...possibly even aggravating it further. I can only think that he's using this as a way to create chaos...and draw us out into a confrontation."

Callista froze for a moment when Ainar's voice changed. She could feel the change in the room, as the others could. Her gaze slid to Arie as Callista moved to push her chair back. Arie shook her head. _'No, stay put...'_ Callista relaxed then, trying to drain the tension from her shoulders. Ainar really had changed... She only fully relaxed when Myk and Ainar had shaken hands across the table. Letting out the breath she'd been holding, she turned to Xan, feeling his gaze on her. Xan wondered why this Ainar was so upset with Myk, but since he didn't know anyone of them well enough yet, well other than Callista that is, he didn't comment. Still, the anger coming from this Ainar worried him and a brief glance to Callista showed that she was worried as well. "Perhaps we should discuss other things at this time?"

Callista nodded, looking relieved as the conversation turned to other matters. Not that it was much of a difference. Things with the Sith had always been....tense. And that was putting it mildly. She had yet to tangle with them on a large scale as the others had. She listened to Steffan and Andrea relate what they knew before she spoke, glancing at Xan during a lull. "Master Qenadius... you're in Intelligence. Do you have anything you could share with us that might help?"

Xan nodded sadly. "Well, Master Karrde is correct in his assessment of Sith motives. We're facing a newer incarnation of their evil order. They call themselves One Sith now. One purpose, one dedication, and one goal. Bane is only the top of the food chain there. It's the untold numbers of his followers that is the real threat."

Callista sobered slightly, and she could see Steffan nodding off to her right. Arie and Myk watched with interest, still trying to get a feel for Xan - if their sense in the Force was any indication. "That's a fair assessment, I think," Callista ventured quietly after a moment. She knew it was important, but given recent events, she'd rather discuss other things. But for now, they needed to focus. She nodded, offering him a slight smile. "Thank you, Master." She looked down at her hands a moment before leaning closer to Xan. "I'm...sorry about earlier. It's hard to talk about ... there without getting worked up." she said, referring to Korriban as she spoke softly.

Xan smiled slightly. "It's perfectly understandable Callista. that is the problem though. Korriban has always been strong with the Dark side of the Force. And now the remnants of the Vongese (Vong) War and the bitter feelings a lot of galactic citizens still have to the _Jetiise_ (Jedi) are playing into One Sith's hands. You were lucky you are surrounded by those that are concerned for you. Callista. If One Sith captured you on Korriban with those feelings still intact....then you would've made an easy recruit." She swallowed and nodded, falling silent for a moment. "I wasn't in my right mind then, either..." she admitted after a moment. "I wanted...justice for my Master's death. And to get it, I walked right into the viper's nest....."

Xan nodded. "That's what One Sith is taking advantage of now though. A lot more Jedi these days carry these types of feelings as residue from the wars. Loss, bitterness, a perverted sense of justice. These are helping Bane recruit. and One Sith's numbers are larger then the Order thinks they are." He sighed and shifted nervously in his seat, still uncomfortable being out of his _beskar'gam_. "Intelligence has noted that we've been losing more than 40 Jedi each year to unexplained reasons. Seemingly without a trace. That, however, is not the case."

She frowned, toying with her napkin. She kept one ear on the conversation at the other end of the table but looked at Xan. "How do you mean...?"

"Most of these disappearing Jedi served in the wars, had disputes with the Order in one way or another shortly before their disappearance and then simply didn't return after a mission. And haven't you noticed that the sith numbers seem to get larger month after month?" he said

"I....haven't really paid attention to that, to be honest..." she admitted after a moment, her cheeks flushing. She'd been buried in her studies. Both Steffan and Arie had insisted, given what they had been sensing in the Force.

"Hmmm, well check the records with the Order if you want to double-check the facts. But I've been in places to observe this. And it's happening." he said and took a drink of water after he finished relaying that.

Further down the table, Callista saw Steffan nod. "He's right, Callista. Their numbers have been growing I've been sensing another confrontation building for some time, but the where and when of it remains to be seen." Steffan nodded his thanks to Xan, and then turned his attention back to Arie and Myk for the moment, sensing that Callista wanted to continue her conversation with Xan.

Xan looked at Callista feeling her thoughts. "Got something on your mind _Cal'ika_?" he asked gently.

"Yes...." she ventured after a moment. "I....was wondering about the Mandalorians... many have thought them to be....for lack of a better word, extinct...." Xan laughed "Well in some ways that hold true. But the reality is Mandalorians are still around, just not wanting to get involved in galactic affairs anymore. Too often my people were hired as mercenaries or chattel for the Sith to use. Now we forge our own destiny."

She nodded, her expression thoughtful. "I'd like to learn more about them..." A smile touched her lips for a moment. He was unlike everything she'd heard about Mandalorians in the past; her first encounter had proved that.

Xan smiled "I'd be happy to share with you. Just remember though to keep an open mind and remember that circumstances and cultures have things that make others nervous. Mandalorians most of all."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "I do my best to keep an open mind, Master. Heck, I'm learning healing techniques from the General herself. That's an eye-opener for certain." She let out a breath, looking Xan in the eye. She still fell back into formality. It was...familiar. Xan scowled "It's _Xan_ , _Cal'ika_. I'm not your Master, therefore you can drop that _osik_. " It was a bit of the Mando pride he had coming out in his words. " Rule one, if a _Mando_ gives you the respect to give you their first name, they expect it used."

She blushed, ducking her head slightly before she met his gaze. "Sorry. It's a habit, I guess. Ma...Myk-Ron's trying to break me of it also. It's hard to get used to..." she admitted softly.

Xan nodded but still scowled, though more out of annoyance. "We all make mistakes. However just let me remind you something and hopefully, this will carry over to others. If you slight a Mando they make sure you know about it. Treat those in the way you wish to be treated. That's another Mando rule."

"I'll keep that in mind...." she answered with a nod. She chewed her lip for a moment in thought. "You keep referring to a code of honor... what is that? Is it similar to the Jedi Code, or different?"

"It's different from the Jedi code. Not conflicting for the most part. The Mando Code of Honor tells a Mando'ade how to live their lives and conduct themselves in our culture and galactic society as a whole. This Code of Honor is as essential to a Mando'ad as the Jedi code is to us Jedi." Xan explained. Callista nodded again. Everything that she learned about Xan...the Mandalorians...it made her want to learn more. At the back of her mind, she sensed Arie's faint amusement and her happiness that Callista had found someone that she could talk to about things...and perhaps more. Callista pushed her empty soup bowl away and took a sip of her water before she turned back to Xan. "Maybe...you can teach me some of it later, Xan...?" she hedged, hoping she wasn't pushing too much. She had to admit, the Mandalorian way of life, and their codes intrigued her.

Xan smiled "I'd enjoy that, not many people ask me to learn our ways." He was intrigued by her, her innate openness, her compassion. It was the core of her being, it was highly attractive to him. He would've blushed with all those others seeing his reactions if he was not a Mandalorian. He didn't like being read like an open book, but he wasn't going to back away from the challenge. Mando'ade needed challenges to grow.

* * *

"This new arrival concerns me," Bane said as he was looking out the glass at the snow falling hard on Rhen Var. He felt it in his meditations, felt it strongly enough that he called Amrond and I'tka, his best warrior, into his chambers.

"You command, my lord?" I'tka asked, looking up to him from where he knelt. His skin was pale against his black robes, except for the darkened tattoos that covered his face and body. It intimidated the others, giving his face the look of a skull. To him, any person in their way was an object for him to cut down.

"We must know about him," Amrond suggested. He was just the same in thinking as I'tka. And currently, under Bane's orders, he had almost nearly completed Falk's conversion and training from the Jedi Order to theirs. "My lord, if he is as you say, he is a risk that must be dealt with before we can move."

"I have thought on that," Bane said as he turned to his two most trusted warriors. "Send some of our better warriors to Coruscant. I must know what this new arrival is capable of."

* * *

"Wow," Myk said as Steffan finished bringing him up to speed on the state of things. It was a lot to take in.

"That's about the lay of it," Steffan said as he leaned back in his chair now, sipping some of the caf that was being served after the meal. "And Xan is correct as well. I confided in him to run that rumor down and we confirmed it together. They are gathering more and more. And the problem is, we need to figure out our next move and the question is....where to start."

“For that,” Arie interjected. “I think I may have some information we will all find...enlightening.”

“General,” Maxell spoke up. “That information has yet to be verified, and, if it is, it is sure to be highly classified. Can we justify sharing such sensitive intel with...well...civilians?”

“I'm a commander,” Myk interjected.

“Me too,” Brink shot an indignant look at the Colonel.

“My branch liaises with New Republic Intelligence on all classified operations,” Xan spoke up.

“The Jedi council will wish to be informed at some point,” Karrde nodded. “As head of the Council, I see no reason to postpone matters.”

“All well and good,” Maxell said. “But, still...”

“Enough,” Arie cut them off with a look. “I trust these people more than any others in the galaxy, Colonel. But, to soothe your legal mind, I'll ask that everyone swear to silence until or unless this information is deemed unclassified. Not a word of what I'm about to show you will leave this room, am I understood?”

Everyone nodded their silent agreement. Maxell still looked uneasy, but even he conceded. Arie fetched a small holoprojector and connected the device to her datapad. She placed both on the table and slid the datacard Talon had given her into it. “Earlier this evening I was given this datacard by a relative of yours, Steffan,” She explained. The Cataani grinned and Myk's eyes widened slightly. “Having worked with him in the past, I have no reason to doubt his word. However, the data analysts will want to run full forgery scans before this ever reaches the High Council. On this datacard are starcharts, holorecordings, and timestamps that place the Bothan/Anzati coalition in possession of something to the tune of 5,000 mobile suits. These suits are military-grade, and utilize alloy that was supposed to remain a government secret. Their numbers are growing, and, at this pace, it is safe to assume that they have a manufacturing facility somewhere.”

“How did they manage this?” Steffan shook his head in disbelief.

“The Bothans have always been very good spies,” Arie sighed. “Their skill at subterfuge and espionage helped win the war for the Rebellion. It seems though that their skill was a double-edged knife.” She punched up a holo-recording and the image hovered in midair above the table. She tapped a key, and the holo began to play.

“This footage was taken by one of Talon Karrde's people running guns into Bothawui. He managed to slip by security at the starport and capture a transaction I think you'll all be interested in.”

The holo was grainy, but it didn't hamper the image. From behind a few packing crates, the view centered on a Bothan and a man in a deep black cloak talking amid what were clearly half-assembled mobile suits. The Bothan seemed to be arguing something when the man in black ignited a crimson lightsaber and cut down the furred alien on the spot. He turned to another Bothan, barked an order that was inaudible on the amateur recording, and handed that Bothan a small sack of coins. The Bothan's fur ruffled in pleasure, and he hurriedly scurried off. The image jumbled as the impromptu spy made a hasty retreat.

“Spast,” Ainar spat. “This seals it then. Bane is funding the Bothan/Anzati military and has somehow managed to provide the plans and material to build their own fleet of mobile suits. Surely, the Council will sanction action now?”

“A tough question to answer,” Maxell shrugged. “This data could be interpreted in many ways, and the Council will want to look at it from all possible angels. We must be certain, without a doubt, of our intentions, and of the evidence. If we rush things and later learn that the Bothans were forced into this arrangement, then we run the risk of angering other New Republic worlds by unjustly punishing a victim of circumstance.”

“That Bothan didn't look too upset to me,” Myk spoke up. “And, I trust Karrde. Talon, that is. No offense, Steffan. Just clarifying the person of whom I speak.”

“None taken.”

“Unfortunately, Colonel Maxell is right,” Arie sighed. “This will take some time, but I wanted you all to be informed of the situation so you could have a clearer picture of events taking place.”

“Seems to me, a little snooping of our own would not be remiss,” Karrde said. “The more solidifying intel we can produce, the better.”

“Agreed,” Arie said. “Though I can't yet send NR Intelligence in without tipping my hand. And, we can't be positive that this isn't a trap.”

“A lot has changed since last I was here,” Myk sighed. “Pity this hasn't.”

Arie arched an eyebrow at the Rogue. “Is that regret I hear, dear husband? I would have thought, you'd relish the chance for some action.”

“Oh, don't get me wrong,” Myk raised his hands. “I'm all for a good workout, but the Sith...they're so...unchanging. They build their sources, they attain power, then they try to blanket the galaxy in darkness. For once, I'd like to see them do something outside their etched-in-durasteel parameters.”

“Be careful what you wish for,” Steffan warned. “I can assure you that Bane is not your atypical Sith. He's cunning, cruel, and vicious, and he's proved a brilliant strategist.”

“So I won't be bored then?” Myk winked at the Jedi Master.

“Corellians,” Ainar sighed.

“We're losing sight of the target,” Arie interrupted. “We need to think about this, long and hard. We'll come back with ideas in a few days. In the meantime, I'll be getting this data to the crunchers, and see about putting together a plan the Council can't shoot down immediately.”

“Agreed,” Steffan nodded. “On a completely unrelated note. The Jedi Council is ready to put Ter-Lon through his Knighthood trials. Though we are looking for potential testers. Ainar has volunteered to test the boy's control of the Force, and as his Master, I believe that is his right. Arie, would you like to test your grandson's knowledge?”

“I'm no longer a member of the Jedi Council, Steffan,” Arie said. “Would they really allow such a thing?”

“Arie,” Steffan chided. “That was never even a question. The only question the Council had was whether or not you'd accept.”

“I do. I believe I will also test his healing powers, after all, I taught him to harness the Force for healing.” Arie replied.

“Good,” Steffan smiled. “That just leaves someone to test Ter-Lon's skill with a lightsaber. I had thought of doing so myself, though I believe the perfect instructor for this particular section has recently surfaced.”

Myk-Ron looked to Arie. “Fight my grandson? I'm pretty sure I'd like to actually meet him first.”

“You will, Love,” Arie said. “Tomorrow.”

“I don't see a problem with it,” Myk turned a predatory smile on Steffan. “Though I could really use a good warm-up, I think.”

Steffan eyed the Rogue coolly. “And you think I could provide you an adequate challenge?”

Myk-Ron laughed lightly. “You're very good at hiding the fact that you're very good, Master Karrde. There are some things, however, that give you away. I'll bet Xan knows what I'm talking about. No, I believe you will provide a more than an adequate challenge. I believe this could be...enlightening for the both of us. So...whaddya say?”

Xan nodded in response to Myk-Ron's statement of Steffan's saber skills. "I've heard stories but I've not been in his presence to see his skill with the blade first hand." Steffan nodded, and Callista hid a smile. "Well then, you're missing out, Xan. Master Karrde is one of the best swordsmen I've met."

Offering her a smile, Steffan turned back to Xan. "Feel free to ask me what you like, Master Qenadius, and I shall do my best to answer." He'd noticed that Callista had addressed Xan by his first name, but something in the way Xan held himself told Steffan that Xan was wary.

"Well I've learned a great deal about _Cal'ika_ Master Karrde, but I'm curious to learn about how she ties in with you lot. She didn't explain that to me at least."

Callista blushed and ducked her head. "Sorry, Xan." She glanced to Steffan for a moment and saw Andrea hiding a smile.

Steffan smiled briefly before he leaned forward to answer Xan's question. "As I'm sure you've seen, Callista is a talented Healer. But even healers must be able to defend themselves." He paused to sip his caf before he continued. "When Callista came to the Temple here on Coruscant, I began training her more extensively in the use of the saber. She's quite skilled, if I may say so."

"I almost found that out first hand." Xan laughed. "But I've seen her healing skills at work. " Xan still looked uncomfortable and kept glancing at Myk-Ron. "So you are the Rogue _me'ven_? Nice to know there are more "less restrained" people around in the Order. Part of the reason why I spend the least amount of time on _Coruscanta_ as possible. Too damn stuffy around here."

Myk grinned and glanced briefly at Arie before he nodded. "Aye, that I am. A little out of sorts, having been 'dead' and all." He turned thoughtful for a moment. "While some still hold to the old ways, many, like Master Karrde and myself...we take a more open approach." He gazed at Xan for a moment as if searching him in the Force. "You are Mandalorian, yes?" It wasn't so much a question as seeking confirmation of his suspicions. "I don't think I've seen a Force-wielding Mandalorian in all my years." He turned a smile towards Callista a moment. "From what I know of Callista, she doesn't back down easily. That speaks highly of you, Master Qenadius..."

Xan grinned. "Well, she's earned my praise as well." He looked at Callista a second before continuing "But yes I'm a Mando'ad (Mandalorian), one of the few in these days that have felt accepted enough in Mandalorian society to openly profess that without fear of bringing up the ancient hatreds. There are a few of us now, though most simply wish to remain on Manda'yaim. But Bardan Jusik changed how we _Mando'ade_ view the _Jetiise_."

Andrea spoke up then, after glancing at her father. "If you'll permit me, Master Qenadius?" At his nod, she continued. "Bardan was indeed pivotal in affecting the Mandalorians' view of the Jedi. He gave up his title during the Clone Wars. I'm glad to have you among us, Master Qenadius, it is an honor."

Xan smiled. "Well, I don't know if I'm that much of a big deal." His eyes seemed to be looking far away for a second. "But you used the right word, honor."

Andrea smiled briefly. "I know that many Mandalorians have....shall we say, less than favorable views of the Jedi. It's been so for many years. The fact that you are here as both a Mandalorian and a Jedi says a lot."

"Most _aruetiise_ (outsiders) don't understand why that happened, though. And if they knew the story and the reasons behind then perhaps more understanding would come. Needless to say, the old views are dying out now, But then Mandalorians have had more recent experience with the Jetiise (Jedi, plural) during the war with the _Vongese_."

Andrea nodded. "That they did....the Jedi offered their assistance to the Mandalorians when the Yuuzhan Vong invaded Mandalore..." She was silent for a moment. "They didn't succeed, and the Vong poisoned Mandalore. From recent reports, they are still recovering, even now..." she finished quietly.

Xan nodded. "Mandalorians and the farming culture, while less significant in these times than it was in during the Mandalorian Wars, is still important to our identity. It's still taking time to depollute the land." Andrea nodded. "Perhaps, if they are willing, the Jedi could offer their assistance? That is if the Council approves." She glanced at her father. "I should think that would be up to the Mandalorian leader, Andrea..." She nodded. "Yes, Daddy."

Xan nodded. "Mand'alor is a little bit more preoccupied with rebuilding the Mandalorian fleet." He caught a frown on the face of the Major and laughed. "Don't worry Colonel, I doubt the Mandalorian Empire will want to take on the New Republic." Xan said under his breath, "Waste of good resources that." Xan nodded. Callista ducked her head hiding a grin, and she could see even Myk and Brink grinning at that one. The only people that didn't seem amused were Ainar and the Colonel himself. But then, Ainar had been rather unlike himself of late. Xan couldn't resist digging into the Major a bit more. "Tell me, Colonel, since when did Jedi and others gathered around this table become civilians?"

Maxwell started, and his gaze slid to Arie. She nodded, giving him reassurance to answer. Maxwell cleared his throat, nervously fiddling with his napkin. "Well, Master Qenadius, I uh.... I'm just highly skeptical of sharing such sensitive information with those who are not direct members of the military...we've been victims of spies before...." He trailed off, seeing the look Myk gave him. "But I trust the General's judgment." he finished somewhat hastily.

Xan laughed. "Typical NR military. Some facts for you Colonel....something you should be aware of next time. The senate ruling just prior to Palpatine's revelation of his true self is still NR law. The law states Jedi clearance is only secondary to the of the Chancellor or Head of State. So I suggest you stop playing desktop general and leave the name-calling to the _Siit_ (Sith)." Maxwell went quiet then and ignored Xan. Callista could sense the amusement of many of the others, and she too, had a hard time hiding her smirk behind her napkin, for her eyes betrayed it.

Arie sat up straight, her smile disappearing from her face as she stared hard at Xan. "I'm afraid you are mistaken on that one, friend, the Jedi Council does have a security clearance, granted to them by my Office, but also revoked at my leisure. Only the President can overrule my decisions regarding warfare, but not security of the Republic...and the Senate is wrong, the Jedi Council's clearances come directly from me." Arie explained.

"And since when has this become law?" Xan cooly asked, his eyebrows cocked.

"Since I watched the President sign the bill into law over 10 years ago granting me that power." Arie chewed out. A look of understanding came over Xan. "If you excuse me, I am going to fix a pot of cafe." Arie rose from the table, still a little hot under the collar at the hotshot sitting at her dinner table.

Xan spoke up. " _Ni ceta_ (I'm sorry) everyone. But I guess that's the first lesson for most of you. Mandalorians brook no slight and they don't hold back their thoughts." Myk held up his hands, palms facing Xan. "No complaints from me, buddy. I appreciate a man that talks straight." Brink nodded also, and Callista got the sense that even Steffan's respect for Xan had just gone up.

Xan nodded " _Jate_ (Good). Though next time, remind me to bring my _beskar'gam_. No offense but I feel naked in front of you all right now."

Myk just shook his head and grinned, saluting Xan with his glass of whiskey. "I wouldn't blame you... this group can get a little rough.." he told Xan with a wink. He knew exactly how Xan felt.

Xan just shook his head and laughed again. "I suppose you all, apart from the Colonel have questions for me. I'm willing to answer some more."

Ainar spoke up then. "Master Qenadius, how long have you been working with Jedi Intelligence...?"

"Since being found as a street kid living on the streets of Mos Eisley as a 6-year-old. My Master found me, discovered my Force sensitivity the hard way and took me into his household and raised me. Only the council knew the truth of his and my identities for a long time."

Steffan nodded. "Times were difficult then, and many Jedi had gone into hiding following the Force Psychosis."

Xan frowned. "The Force Psychosis was not the reason behind his or my identities being kept secret. It's a little difficult to explain to the Hutt crime syndicate how a major Hutt crime lord was, in fact, an Intelligence agent hoping to gather enough information to shut down the families."

"Ah... that makes sense," Steffan said, nodding as Ainar did. 'Thank you, Master Qenadius." Xan nodded and waited to see if other questions would be raised or not.

"Do you want a few days to loosen up and prepare?" Steffan asked Myk off-handed as he looked over at the Rouge. From the side, he saw Arie's eyebrow shoot up as if to say 'you did not just say that.'. He could get a sense of a giggle almost coming out of his daughter and Callista. An inquisitive look from Ainar, but the look that Myk gave him was passive...unreadable.

"Tomorrow," he told him as he leaned over the table. "And you can't fool me with the humbleness you show. Humble or not, you're actually going to be looking forward to this."

If any of the Jedi at the table were betting people, Steffan had the feeling that bets would be placed when he leaned forward as well to look at Myk. "I sense a lot of pride between the two of us on this, Myk-Ron Dinn. Arie has mentioned how you were with a blade, as well as what I have read myself. Tomorrow it is.....and place?"

"Private or public?" Myk asked, smiling now.

"I think maybe one of the sparring rooms....." Ainar started to suggest, already mentally wagering on Steffan.

"Or maybe here at the Palace," Arie said, not sure on who to wager on.

"How about the Chamber of a Thousand Fountains," Callista suggested, which caused all heads to turn to her.

"Agreed," Myk and Steffan said at the same time, almost causing a snicker from everyone.

 _There might not be much of the Chamber left_ , Arie thought, the only one in the room that had seen both her husband and Steffan fight. This was definitely going to be a spar she wouldn't miss for anything.

* * *

Ainar excused himself and stood up, he had a nagging feeling that something was wrong but he couldn't pinpoint it....since Korriban his Force sense had been all but numb, but he kept feeling this blanket of anger, covering him and cutting him off from the Force......he tried shutting his eyes as he stood by the window overlooking Coruscant and stretched out.

_Kevin..._

There was nothing..

He opened his eyes and turned around, crossing his arms into his sleeves he overlooked the group of people before him....his gaze fixed on Myk and he tried to sense something, anything...but all he could get was a feeling that their paths would cross soon, and it wouldn't be pleasant. He didn't like him, not one bit.

Myk glanced up and matched his stare, his face blank and focused....like a call to arms.


	9. Chapter 9

Myk cast a feral grin at Steffan. "I can't wait," The Rogue said. "Though, I suggest we call it a night. I think we all could use some time to think, and I'd like to sleep in a real bed." The others nodded their agreement, and began their goodbyes. As everyone filed out, Callista and Xan lingered. Myk could sense their inquisitiveness, and smiled. I'll be to bed shortly, Arie. He sent his wife. Just gonna have a smoke, and get to know your apprentice and her friend.

 _Be nice, Rogue,_ Arie sent back.

 _Always_ , He replied.

Arie excused herself then and headed to the bedroom for the night. Myk poured himself a Whyvern's Reserve and nodded to Callista and Xan. "I could use a bit of fresh air, and company would not be remiss. Care to join me?"

Callista smiled, and cast a glance to Xan. "Sure, Myk. It was getting a bit stuffy anyway...." She grinned at that, thinking back to Maxell's reaction. She ducked into the kitchen for a few glasses, passing Myk his normal whiskey, Xan caf and herself hot chocolate. She wasn't sure what he liked.

"I'll just be on the balcony," Myk said. "The view is great out there." The Rogue motioned for the two to follow as he slid open the transparisteel doors, and lit a cigarette. He sat in one of the patio chairs and kicked up his feet on the balcony railing.

Xan sat around, nervously pulling at his suit's collar in an effort to make himself more comfortable. But he was failing. Thankfully Myk's invitation broke him from his attempt. "Sounds good...I need a bit of fresh air anyway." He got up while still fidgeting but he walked to the balcony and laughed at Myk's stretching out. "That must be the traditional Corellian posture, stretched out like that."

Callista snickered. "I think you're right, Xan..." She sat down in the other empty chair, cradling her cocoa mug. "Xan, why don't you take off the jacket...?" she asked quietly as she leaned over to him.

"I guess it's in the blood," Myk shrugged. "Then again, I always felt that if you're not comfortable, you're doing something wrong." He winked at the Mandalorian.

Xan nodded as he took off his suit jacket and smiled "Comfortable for me is a bit different though. You'd be surprised how comfortable my armor is to me."

"Probably less than you'd think," Myk said. "If I had my way, I'd wear a flight suit every day. They are hard to shrug off in a hurry though..."

Callista took the jacket, and draped it carefully over the back of her chair and then smiled. "Even Jedi robes can be cumbersome in certain situations..."

Xan nodded. "That's why I don't bother with robes, besides in this day an age wearing robes is like a beacon. _'Hello I'm a jedi, therefore if you don't like Jedi come attack me.'_ Nah, I'll stick to my armor. A little intimidation in others isn't always a bad thing."

"Agreed," The Rogue nodded. "But, I'm curious. Last I knew of the Mando'ade, they were fighting their own personal war against the Vong. Making a comeback, are they?"

Xan sighed. "Not exactly. Mand'alor a few years ago decided the best way to keep the Mandalorian empire in tact was to pull out of galactic events as a whole. A few of us, like me work in the open but most stay within the empire's borders. The _Siit_ though are threatening that peace."

Callista frowned slightly. "How do you mean, Xan...?"

Xan sighed and asked, "Do _aruetiise_ know how the Mandalorians actually got involved with the Sith in ancient times?"

"Vaguely," Myk answered. "They worked for them for a time, no?"

Xan shook his head. "Not exactly. It began over a test of honor. A fight. Freedon Nadd, the Sith that came upon the ancient Mandalorians was in fact considered a threat. However, Mandalorian honor demanded that if he could battle our Mand'alor and win that he would be considered a warrior to be respected. When Nadd defeated Mand'alor the Ultimate, it signaled to us that there were stronger warriors then us in the galaxy and in order to learn from them and add that knowledge to our own we had to work with the strongest warrior. In that case it was Nadd and the Sith."

"It makes a kind of sense for sure," Myk extinguished his t'bac and sipped at his whiskey. "Better the enemy you know..."

Xan sighed. "Well, the complication comes with the code of Honor that binds us Mandalorians. A Mandalorian's word is a bond, a contract that cannot be broken without losing their honor. Bane is trying to take advantage of that ancient pact in order to enslave us once again to Sith control."

Callista chewed thoughtfully at the inside of her cheek for a few moments, her gaze still on the city beyond the balcony. "What is _Mand'alor_ doing to oppose this control...?"

Xan sighed. "Nothing open. as it stands, even if we get a fleet back into commission it still won't be able to hold off the amount of ships the Sith can throw at us. And Mand'alor isn't willing to ask the NR for help."

"What's the Mandalorian history with the NR...?"

"That pride could get your people into trouble, you know," Myk warned. "But, who am I to talk?" Callista hid a smile at Myk's last comment, but turned her gaze to Xan as she sipped her cocoa.

“The real question is...what are you going to do?"

Xan sighed. "I've made my decision to fight the _Siit_ long ago. When I became my Master's padawan. I'll do nothing less then that. Even if that means becoming dar'manda. But as for Mand'alor, I cannot decide for him."

Myk arched an eyebrow at the _Mando_. "Never judge a _Mando_ by his _Beskar'gam_. I can respect a man who sticks by his own convictions." At Myk's comment, Callista blushed slightly, again remembering how she'd met Xan....

Xan smiled. "Convictions is the measure of a man...or a warrior. Not the battles they have been in.." he frowned now, sensing what was to come. "Or will be in..."

Callista frowned. There it was again. That sense that the Masters were sensing things she could not. She sighed softly in frustration and took a gulp of her cocoa as if it were whiskey. "Myk... How much do you know of the events on Korriban...?" she asked softly, surprising herself.

"Just that something happened to you on that rock," Myk gave her a brave smile. "You try to bury it, but you broadcast on a pretty open frequency, sweetheart." Callista swallowed, and slowly met his gaze before she looked away for a moment. "I was stupid...." Her voice was barely more than a whisper.

"You know what the biggest enemy of a Jedi is?" Myk asked. Callista shook her head silently, gazing at him as her fingers unconsciously clenched around her mug.

" _Themselves_ ," The Rogue continued. "It was the downfall of Vader and countless others. They become self-fulfilling prophecies. They make one mistake, and start doubting themselves. That just leads to more mistakes and more self-doubt. You're a good kid, Callista. It doesn't take a genius to see that. But, you're still only human. The Jedi have always held themselves on this pedestal of perfection. Ridding yourself of emotion isn't the answer. Robots weren't meant to wield this power. Same time though, the fact that you feel bad about it is a good sign. Just don't let it eat at you. You made a mistake. Learn from it. Carry on. Dwelling on it can only hurt you in the long run."

"I know..." she said after a moment of staring out across the city. "It's hard to forget it though." She ran her fingers around the rim of her mug, making a soft sound. Finally, she voiced what had been eating at her. "And seeing Master Algeron didn't help...."

"Oh?" Myk said. "So, he's not always been a stiff-backed hardcase?" She actually flinched. "He....he came after me, before Master Karrde and Dilan. He fought the Dark Lord.... when I saw him again, he was badly injured. Burned over much of his body. And he felt wrong..." she put an emphasis on the word as she looked up at him again. "I can't help but think if he hadn't come, he wouldn't have ...changed.."

"See, and there's that Jedi guilt for you," Myk lit another cigarette. "It's like the Jedi ingrain their own with this kill-switch. You can't shoulder the weight of the whole galaxy on your shoulders. No one can. Ainar is his own man. His mistakes, his trials...they are his alone. You can be there to help him, you can let him know that he's got friends. But, you can't take his burden away from him. In a way, that line of thinking is more selfish than selfless. I don't hold much stock in the Jedi way, if you haven't noticed..."

She chuckled. “Actually, I did notice, and it intrigues me. It's ...refreshing...."

"The Jedi way...That tired _cliche_." Xan said chucking himself.

Myk-Ron shrugged easily. "In the end, I believe that you know what's right or wrong without some dogmatic praxeum beating it into your brain-pan. But, I could always be wrong. It's happened before."

She fidgeted for a moment. "I do feel a little stifled at the Temple, sometimes I wish I could go somewhere...else.."

"Oh don't let me dissuade you, Callista," Myk looked to the girl. "I haven't nearly got everything figured out. Point is," He said. "Be true to yourself, and _kriff_ the rest."

“You aren't Myk. I've been seeing it for myself. Since I began training with....Arie..." She actually laughed. "I like that." The Rogue smiled at the mention of his wife, but remained quiet, thoughtful.

"She's interesting that one, I but then again, most of you are, save the Colonel."

Myk-Ron laughed at that.

Callista groaned. "He's wound far too tight for my liking....."

"Interesting. That's a nice way to put it."

Callista snorted, hiding her mouth with her hand. "But it fits..."

"Listen, tomorrow is going to be nuts," Myk-Ron said. "But I'd love to get to know you two better. Either of you handy with a hydrospanner?"

Callista shrugged. "Some. I'm not the greatest, but I'm small.... so maybe I could help?"

Xan laughed, "The _Par'jila_ breaks down so often that I need an attachment in one of my gauntlets."

"Fantastic!" The Rogue grinned. "Sometime soon, I plan on getting to work on the Bird. Poor girl's been sitting lonely for 45 years. I'll show you what a Corellian ship is made out of. I could always use a couple extra hands."

Xan laughed again. “Well if they're anything like the people they produce I'm sure it's going to be an adventure in and of itself."

"Just tell me when and where, Myk, and I'm there!" Callista answered. "I could use a break from my studies..."

"I like you guys," The Rogue cast a genuine smile at the two. For the first time since coming back, Myk actually felt completely relaxed.

Xan grinned. "The feeling's mutual. Don't often get to socialize with others in my line of work, unless I'm trying to get an in."

A slow smile spread across her face. "You're one of the first people besides Xan I've felt I can actually talk to about things. Everyone else is so.....stuffed.." she muttered the last word.

"We'll get along just fine, I think," Myk said, raising his glass to them. "That being said, though, I think it's about time for me to hit the sack. I've got a wife that I haven't been with in 45 years, a big fight tomorrow, a grandson to meet for the first time, and some over-confident Sith Lord to think about."

Callista chuckled. "Shall we leave you to it then?"

Xan nodded. "I think we should, _Cal'ika_. Never get between a man and his wife is a folk saying on Mandalore. And for good reason." he said picking up his suit jacket.

Myk-Ron nodded a salute to the Mando, and winked at Callista. "I'm sure you've got better to do than listen to me go on about Jedi fallacies and the finer points of ship tuning."

Callista nodded. "Indeed.." She rose, cradling her cocoa mug for a moment before she impulsively hugged him. "Have a good night, Myk.." The Rogue was slightly startled at first, but returned the hug. "You too, kid," he said. "Xan."

Xan smiled. " _Retur'cye mhi_ (May we meet again), Rogue. Hope you manage to stay in one piece after tonight." Then found Callista's elbow in his ribs. "It was a joke _Cal'ika,_ " he laughed. She just grinned and shook her head, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.

"Oh, I'm sure I'll manage," Myk assumed a feral grin. "I just hope they get it on holo." Callista groaned and made a dismissive gesture at him. "Go spend time with your wife... _please_..." Xan laughed again and waved as he and Callista made their way out.

* * *

With the dinner finally over, Callista and Xan had taken the time to slip out. She was curious. And she had a hard time denying the feelings she'd expressed to him in the kitchen a few hours ago. She'd caught Arie's knowing look, but just smiled. Once outside, Callista looked around the interior of the Palace Presidential level to get her bearings. Each apartment had been built like a small house. Now came the task of finding their way to the hangar. With a look to Xan, she chuckled. "I always get lost in here.....I think the hangar is....that way..." she said after a moment, as she pointed off to the left.

Xan nodded and followed. He grumbled at the size of the building. "Wasteful, boastful, decadent...and the Republic wonders why a lot of other groups want nothing to do with them."

Callista sighed. "A lot of this is leftover from the time of Palpatine, Xan.....it is wasteful, yes, but at least the Republic is making use of the space.."

"A simple building could be used for the presidential home and not this monstrosity. Mando'ade consider stuff like this a lie. A grand exterior to hide within. No true sense of purpose." Callista shrugged. "Many in the Republic, even now still hold to the grand scale of the Republic of old. We have been through a lot. And this I guess serves as a reminder of the ideal they strived for." She shrugged. "If you think about it, even the Jedi Temple is extravagant....and we are a religious order..."

Xan shook his head. "The Temple also houses over 10,000 Jedi, plus numerous workers to help maintain the Temple precincts and actually run it. the number is around 250,000 if I recall correctly. Therefore it's size is needed to house that many individuals. The Presidential Palace's official residency is 2500. And the building is twice the size of the Senate. And in the Old Republic the senate was the biggest building in the galaxy." He explained. "You see my point now. Why keep something that truly has no purpose and in fact detracts from the core values the Republic says it has. That's why it's wasteful."

She shrugged. "I'm just a healer, Xan.... I don't know much about the political side of things. That's more the General's arena....or Master Karrde's." Her tone was slightly apologetic. They made their way down a wide corridor to a lift. Xan frowned. "You don't understand. I serve the Republic as a Jedi and agree with it's core values but. I'm also a Mandalorian. You said you wanted to know about my culture well this is how I'm showing you." he said as he made his way into the lift beside her. "Mandalorians see things in different ways then Republicans or Jedi do."

She frowned a moment. “I just haven't given the political stuff much attention. Maybe I should...." she made a face though, remember the political maneuverings of some groups.

"This isn't politics to a Mandalorian, it comes to honor. For a Mando face value is important and so is saying what you mean. To us it's these types of things that make us nervous. A building, a false persona. A lie...all these things are contrary to how we operate in my culture." Callista considered that. "It would make thing more straightforward, yes? I get frustrated when people say one thing and mean another. But you....Xan, you aren't afraid to say what you mean." She looked up at him, her dark hair gleaming slightly in the overhead light.

Xan smiled. "That is the way of the Mandalorians. We consider such things a sign of honor. A lie, a false pledge is a way to cause more problems then it solves. To us not only is not being straight forward a show of poor manners to use an aruetiise (outsider, foreigner) term. But a show of hostility. A greater violence to come." He continued, "We are accused of poor manners in your culture but in mine your form of manners is in truth a disguise, one from which you can hide behind."

She could have taken offense at the but she reminded herself again that he wasn't one to hide the truth. And he didn't mean her specifically. She looked down in thought, as if she were studying the threads of the carpet in the lift. "It's because they're more concerned about what THEY want than for the greater good of their people. They will do whatever they have to in order to achieve it, no matter the cost."

Xan grinned. "And now you begin to see. That why we act in the way we do, not caring if we offend or disgust others by our actions. Our actions are our truth. What we believe we actually act on and not say one thing and do another. A Mandalorian would see this building as saying, you are more concerned with showing power then actually showing compassion. it's why the Jedi Temple makes sense but this building does not."

Callista nodded, leaning back against the wall of the lift for a few moments as she felt it sliding to a halt. That made sense. She was silent for a moment. "You said before that I'd acted as a Mandalorian would have... It's just how I am..." she told him with a slow smile as she stood and stepped from the lift as it slid to a halt at the hangar level. Xan grinned. "And that's actually how a Mandalorian acts. They don't act in a way that is boastful or prideful. They just act in a manner that is them. If some Mando is a mir'osik or as you'd say in Basic a shit head then that that ones personality. If another one is quiet and withdrawn, that's cause they are quiet and withdrawn all the time. not just in the moments you may run across that one."

Nodding, Callista pointed the way towards the hangar. "I like that....not hiding behind pretenses. It's refreshing." She thought a moment. "Did you bring a speeder, or will we need to borrow one?"

"I got a speeder here, though you might consider it garish...in _aruetiise_ terms," Xan said grinning. He liked the fact she was a quick study. And now that he knew where he was going he led the way into the hanger. Once inside, he directed her towards a speeder done up like a Corellian hot rod. "Honest opinions now," he said once she saw it. She grinned, following him into the hangar. As soon as she laid on it, she started giggling. "Sorry... I can't help it. I'm used to plain and simple..." she gasped between giggles as she brushed her dark hair from her face.

Xan laughed. "Too boring for me, but then I usually stick out like a sore thumb anyway so I wanted to enjoy what I use. And she's fast enough to back it up as well," he said jumping into the cockpit behind the controls with ease. He grinned at her to do the same. "Just jump in, you are with the only Jedi in the order that won't care about freedom of expression." Laughing, Callista shook her head. Planting a hand on the fuselage, she vaulted easily into the passenger seat. When she looked up again, she was smiling. "That was fun....I've been kinda stuck in the Temple for a while..." She was quiet for a moment. "After Korriban, the Council restricted my movement for a while. I wasn't allowed to leave Cataan for about 3 weeks after Master Karrde picked me up." She sighed. "I know they had their reasons, but really, what would I have done?"

Xan scowled in thought. "Perhaps if you look at recent events and see what you were still feeling about Korriban that will provide the answer," he said. He started up the engines and gently flighted the speeder out of the hanger and into Coruscant's traffic flow. Callista fell silent for a few moments, contemplating that as she gazed out across the city. She'd been reckless, more motivated by her grief than anything. At that realization, her shoulders slumped slightly. Xan patted her on the shoulder with his free hand. "Now now....you are moving past it. no need to head back into that train of thought now. Besides, you still have a lot of questions to ask." He smiled at her and then began picking up speed. He would've been considered borderline reckless if not for the ease he seemed to have with the speeder.

She offered him a somewhat shaky smile. "Sorry. It's hard for me to put to rest, I guess..." her voice was quiet. Letting out a breath, she felt her shoulders loosen again. "Its just hard sometimes, not having anyone to talk to but my teachers. I feel as if they are scrutinizing me...I hate that feeling..." she admitted. "It may be scrutinizing but it's not cause they think you are going to fail or anything of that nature. They're trying to find out how much potential you have is becoming actual practice. Trust me, it seems off-putting but in reality, it's not meant to be. And someday you will be doing the same to other hopefuls you know."

"I know.... it's just...frustrating, really." She smiled slightly, looking over the city again as she spotted the familiar spires of the Temple. Xan nodded. "How long ago were you knighted, Cal'ika?" he asked, trying to find an answer for her. Callista opened her mouth to reply and closed it again as she thought. "Four or 5 months ago...." she said finally. "It's all kinda blurred around that time..." she finished quietly, but still loud enough to be heard over the wind.

Xan chuckled, "Well you are still in that space in between being used to be a Padawan and now coming into your own. Give it time _Cal'ika_ , you can't be expected to be fully assured yet." Her lip twitched for a moment. "I suppose you're right, I just..... I feel like I've let a lot of people down." She cut that train of thought off, knowing it was leading to place she didn't want to go. Xan sighed. "You made it back from the brink. You are not responsible for other's actions. Remember that." Xan pulled out of the traffic stream and head for the Jedi Temple's hangar. "So, come on. you got questions, I got answers."

She gave him a lopsided grin. "Well....this code of honor you mentioned... I'm intrigued...." She thought a moment. "Where did you want to, ah continue our discussion once we're in the Temple...?"

"Perhaps my quarters here or yours?" Xan said and he couldn't bring himself to look at her at the moment. "For the discussion of course."

"Of course..." Her voice went a little quiet. She had to laugh at herself. She was a grown woman, a Knight even, and she still reacted to his attentions as she would have as a teen. It was both amusing... and slightly embarrassing. "This code of honor seems to be pretty major for your people..." she ventured after a moment.

"As major as the Jedi code is for us or the Constitution of a Free Republic is for the New Republic. It is the constitution of our Empire and the moral basis and compass of our lives." he explained as he set the speeder down to land. "It serves those 2 purposes in one document." Nodding, Callista climbed out of the speeder, her feet lightly touching the permacrete. "And the....armor...?" she asked with a slight grin, remembering the first time she'd seen it.

"It's a part of it. In fact it's the oldest part of the Code of Honor. that part is known as the Resol'nare or the Six Actions."

"And those are?" Her interest was piqued now. Could it be that the Mandalorians were as a civilization, as old as the Jedi themselves?

Xan smiled. "I'll say them first in Mando'a then in Basic so you have an idea."

" _'Ke'juri beskar'gam, Ke'jorhaa'i Mando'a, K'ara'novo aliit, Ke'gaa'tayli aliit bralir, Ke'ba'juri sa Mando'ade, Ke'shekemi haar Mand'alor.'_ That means wear armor, speak Mando'a, defend the family, help the clan to succeed, raise your children to be Mandalorians and rally to the cause of the Mand'alor."

"Seems pretty straight-forward. I like that.." she told him with a smile. "Even the Jedi code can be interpreted many ways. But those, not so much." Xan laughed and nodded as he jumped out of the now parked speeder. "Not really no. but these principles are over 20,000 years old. and they still make sense today." She looked at him a moment, wondering if he'd sensed her earlier thought. "Things that don't change but are still applicable. That sounds sort of the the Jedi Code. Except that that has changed over the years."

Xan nodded. "The Jedi code hasn't changed in essence though for thousands of years. Same with the _Resol'nare._ But a phrase comes to mind Mando children recite that may shed light on why we consider this important." he said. _"Ba'jur, beskar'gam, Ara'nov, aliit, Mando'a bal Mand'alor- An vencuyan mhi._ Education, armor, self-defense, family, our language and leader. All help us survive."

"That does help some. It puts things in perspective..." she mused, mouthing the words to herself for a moment as the walked out of the hangar and down the corridor to the nearest turbo lift. As she walked beside him, she continued to repeat the words to herself. They....resonated with her. Much as the Jedi Code had when she'd taken the oath of Knighthood. But this was different. It felt more personal; like it was a piece of herself that she didn't know had been missing.

"And what does this put into perspective for you _Cal'ika_?" Xan asked as he walked into the lift. "Your floor or mine by the way?" That stopped her for a second. "Mine I guess. It's closer than the Masters quarters. Unless you'd prefer yours?" She was silent a moment. "It feels like it adds that missing piece for me..."

Xan pressed the controls for the Knight's residency and leaned back against the wall as he spoke up. "You feel incomplete still, interesting. Why so?"

"I'm not sure. I just feel like there's something missing. Maybe it has something to do with recent events; I don't know. I do have some combat and lightsaber training from Master Karrde, but he, and my late Master both felt that I should focus on the Healing arts. I guess I feel a little unbalanced, skill-wise." Xan frowned a bit. "I agree it important to be a healer but a Jedi but maintain balance in all things. Perhaps I'll have to teach you some basics of the Mando arts."

A smile spread over her face at that prospect. "I'd like that. I could use the training. It's been quite some time since my last lesson with Master Karrde. And being in the Healer ward can get a little....stuffy." she admitted. Xan chuckled and the lift doors opened. "What room number is your quarters? I'm going to run and get into my comfortable armor."

"134....it's near the end of the hall." Her eyes widened, and she smiled. "Comfortable armor?"

Xan nodded and repeated the number. "134...and yes. Aruetiise speak of comfortable clothes, Mandos have them but it's a bit awkward to explain why we don't wear plain clothes in the open much. Comfortable armor is my version of comfortable clothes."

She frowned slightly. "How can your armor be comfortable?" As she asked this, she stepped into the corridor, glancing around a little to orient herself.

Xan actually blushed. "To us walking around in normal clothes around non-Mandos is like being naked."

She giggled and then tried to compose herself. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you..."

"It's alright....just next time. Let me wear my armor ok?" Xan grinned. "I take the helmet off around other Jedi, I've no need to frighten them you know." She nodded. "Deal....I honestly wasn't expecting you to show up in civvies at the General's. I know it had to be hard..." She laid a hand on his shoulder for a moment. "I'll be in my quarters. Any drink you'd like.....Tea or such?"

"Not much of a tea drinker. If you got caf, I'll bless you." he said.

She grinned, “I do have that, though I don't drink it much myself. How do you like it...?" She turned down the hall, waiting for his reply. Xan held the lift doors open a split second to yell down the hall, "Black." Chuckling, Callista waved at him to acknowledge that she'd heard before she placed her had on the scanner plate beside the door and ducked into her apartment. Force, she was glad she tended to keep things neat. It had been a while since she'd had visitors. Humming to herself, she measured out the caf grounds into the percolator, and set out a couple of mugs as she started some tea for herself.

Meanwhile, Xan had reached his apartment and quickly jettisoned the clothes he was wearing into the laundry bin and nearly running to his wardrobe to put on his coveralls and beskar plates. He came across something that he had nearly forgotten. It was something a friend of his gave him with his dying breath, but Xan had always felt awkward about having it. Then he thought of Callista and wonder if he gave it to her if it would mean something to her. As he finished getting his beskar'gam on, he decided to take the item with him. And after grabbing it ran down to the lift.

A few minutes later the pleasant scent of brewing caf filled her apartment, helping to give her energy. She didn't drink the stuff often, but she enjoyed the aroma of it. She straightened up a bit and ducked into her room to change into a well-worn coverall. Not that robes weren't comfortable, but they felt slightly too formal for her apartment. She just wanted to relax.

A minute later, Xan was ringing the chime for her apartment, the gift hidden. "Come in!" Callista called out as she stepped back into the common area. She'd brushed her hair out and put it up in a ponytail. Xan opened the door and walked in in shiny, well maintained chirq red _beskar'gam_ with black trim. "Well I feel better now, and I can see you do as well." he grinned then took the present from behind his back. It was a long sword with the blade pointed down to the ground, the hilt simple but beautiful. "I found this in my things, thought you should have it."

"M..me...?" Callista breathed in surprise, coming over to examine the blade. She'd never held a full blade before, just her lightsaber. "It's beautiful."

“It's called a beskad or in basic Iron sword, though basic uses subtleties in translation." Callista smiled, and took the blade carefully from Xan, turning it over in her hands to get a feel of it's weight and balance. "I don't know much about swords, but it looks very well made..."

Xan smiled. "It was my friend's blade, may he find rest in the Manda. He made it from his father's _beskar'gam_." Callista sensed that such a thing had great importance to him, and she nodded. "Thank you very much..." She smiled and placed it carefully on the table. She was quite surprised by the gift, in all honesty, and she sensed that it meant a great deal to Xan. "I think your caf's ready..." she said after a moment as she heard the machine beep. Slowly, she turned into the kitchen and poured him a mugful of the steaming liquid before she handed it to him.

Xan smiled and nodded " _Vor'e Cal'ika._ " He caught the look on her face and explained. "It's thanks in _Mando'a._ " He sat down in a free chair in the living quarters and sighed. "So now then...what's the first thing you want to know."

Smiling slightly, Callista wrapped her fingers around the warm ceramic of her tea mug. "Well, You told me of the _Resol'nare_. What is it about the.. _.beskar'gam_ that's so important...?" She stumbled slightly over the pronunciation of the unfamiliar word.

Xan smiled and re-pronounced it slowly for her "Bes...kar...gam. It means Iron Skin. And it's importance has to deal with the fact Mandalorians are a warrior race. It stretches back to the times before Xim the Despot. Before the Republic and the Jedi Order. Tell me, have to heard of _Dha Werda Verda?_ "

"Only in passing..." she admitted after a pause to take a sip of her tea. "What is it and what does it mean?"

“The translation means 'the warriors of the shadow' and it refers to the war between _Coruscanta_... Coruscant's two ancient races, the Taung and the Zhell. The Zhell were what we'd call feral, pre-historic humans that were on Coruscant at the time. As to the Taung..." he paused "Do you have an archives feed here?"

She thought a moment. "Yes, I do..." She rose, placing her teacup on the table as she made her way over to the computer terminal on her desk. "I mostly use it to research healing techniques..." she admitted, blushing slightly.

Xan nodded and smiled. "Well it's useful in that." He rose and walked over to the terminal and typed in TAUNG and a second later the screen filled with an image of an ancient alien with stone looking armor and facial features not far removed from the style of helmet Xan wore. "This is a Taung, the birth race of the Mando'ade."

Her forehead creased slightly. "I think I covered them briefly in my xenobiology class, but since no surviving members of the Taung have been seen, it's hard to do anything more."

“The Taung died out after the Mandalorian wars when the Republic of the day poisoned Manda'yaim with a genetic poison targeted to the Taungs." he said a bit coldly.

She sucked in a breath. "I...didn't know. That's horrible!" She leaned forward to read the article a bit, and paled slightly as she reached that part. "Why would they do such a thing? It's wrong, and goes against everything I stand for as a Healer..."

Xan frowned. "Back then my people weren't exactly known for being truly honorable. Though the Mando'ade were nothing more then butchers themselves in that age. We proudly declared that were destroyed over a hundred worlds." Her face fell at that. She could almost feel the echoes of it in the Force. “I'm glad the Mandalorians aren't like that anymore..." she said softly after a moment.

"Canderous Ordo changed that in part. You may know him better as Mandalore the Indomitable, companion of Revan and the Exile."

"Mhmm." Callista nodded. She did indeed know of that. It was during that time that much had changed for both the Jedi and the Mandalorians. She thought about that a minute. "Xan... I can't explain it, but it just ..well, it makes so much sense to me.."

Xan didn't respond except to rub his chin in thought. "It's not as easy as it sounds, _Cal'ika_. A _mando'ad_ 's life is different than a Jedi's life in a few regards." She frowned and sank down on the edge of the couch. "What do you mean? Maybe if you explained?" Her tone was confused. After a moment, she picked up the sword he'd given her, studying the metalwork as if it contained the answers.

Xan scowled in thought. "Well something's of a Jedi's life are the same, the constant testing, the idea of sacrifice for the goal to be achieved. Dealing with others fairly. However our methods differ. From the age of 3, a Mandalorian child is supposed to be able to properly handle a blaster and be able to use it. for 6 a child is expected to have learned how to kill. By 13 after all the skills are achieved they're considered adults. But the harsh testing never ends.

She fell silent then, still looking down at the sword in her hands. She knew how to kill. But she only did so if she absolutely had to. As a healer, she always looked for alternatives. "What happens if they can't fulfill one of these...objectives?"

"They're considered weak, less then Mandalorian, _dar'manda_ (lacking the sprit of a Mandalorian). Condemned to live outside Mandalorian society. There is room for healers, poets, and scholars in Mandalorian society. but each one of us. Each one, is a warrior and is held to the same factors."

She chewed her lip nervously for a moment. "I know how to use a blaster, but I haven't had much opportunity to use one. Most of my weapons training focused around lightsaber techniques. Though I'm sure some of that could be adapted for other uses." She was silent for a long moment. "I also know how to kill, though I only do so if absolutely necessary...." His words were softly spoken, and she rose to gaze out the windows at the gardens below.

Xan nodded. "For Mandalorians it can be different than Jedi think though. We don't go after the truly innocent, the civilians and ones caught in a no man's land. That is forced to serve for an organization they never wanted to serve. But if an enemy faces us then, it's kill or be killed."

She nodded. "The last few conflicts between the Jedi and the Sith have been similar. We tried to spare the civilians, but the Sith didn't care who they hurt. We were spread too thin.."

Xan shook his head. "I know, but that's not what ]I mean, Cal'ika." He then took a breath, "If you faced a Sith Lord in battle and he got injured what would you do?” That stopped her. She remembered all too clearly what had happened on Corellia. Her face went still. “I'd use the opening and dispatch him to protect myself and others..." she said quietly, staring out the window.

"But if he before threw down his blade and asked to be redeemed?"

She bit her lip. "I...." she took a slow breath. "I don't know..." she admitted after a moment.

"That's the decision Mandos don't mess around with. Dispatching an enemy is one thing, redemption though is another matter. As Jedi we have a better insight into others. but if you were Force-blind and you came upon a sith lord begging you for his life after he or she slaughtered others, what would you reaction be?"

She shrugged. "I'd say no..." was her quiet response. She still stared out the window, watching the daylight fade behind the tree canopy that peeked over the Temple walls.

Xan nodded "And that's why we are so misunderstood. A warrior is not a savage killer, an animal. But an enemy is an enemy, if real redemption comes, for a mando it's before a sentient steps on to the battlefield. If one does and take up arms against us, and yet still looks for redemption before their own death. Mandos don't give redemption. Only the Manda, the force can do so."

Callista nodded again before she looked up at him with a small smile. "It's a lot to take in..." she said quietly, as she traced her fingers over the intricate metalwork that covered the scabbard of the sword that lay across her knees. Xan barely smiled. "That is why we don't mess around. In fact, our battle circles have been known to have a number of deaths in them. And these are friendly challenges. You can imagine how serious we look at this."

Again she nodded, rising to set the sword carefully back on the table before she turned to him. "I want to learn... As you said before, my singular focus on the Healing arts unbalances. I want to fix that.... and I want to get to know you better..." she added quietly with a smile as she found her fingers resting lightly on his arm.

“Then there is only one thing that stands in your way. It's called in Basic the Test of initiation. We refer to it in _Mando'a_ as _Muun'bajir_ or train hard." She nodded, sensing the seriousness in his tone. She could see it in his eyes. He wanted this for her as much as she did, but she could also sense a hint of worry as well. Taking a breath, she let it out, not breaking eye contact. "I'll do whatever it takes, Xan. Know this." she told him firmly.

Xan nodded and breathed out, clasping her hand in his. "Then this should be as soon as possible. And after the duel, I think we should get you....and your friends a small taste of Mandalorian combat techniques." he said. She nodded and then smiled slightly. "I think Myk would rather enjoy that. I know he wants to learn more about the Mandalorians. But I know how serious this is...." she said softly, squeezing his hand.

Xan smiled. "It's serious. but also another lesson to learn. Enjoy each moment, and take each opportunity when it comes. The training can wait till then. I'd rather be here with you now." She really did smile then, and she could feel herself relaxing slightly. After a moment, she moved in closer, laying her head against his chest. It was in just the right place. Xan held her close. "Am I moving too fast for you, Cal'ika? Mandos tend to move faster in this department than others do."

"I...I'm not entirely sure..." was her quiet response. It was fast.... but it felt right.Xan just held her close but kept silent. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable.

It felt.....strange yet comforting to have her small frame surrounded by his armored form. It made her feel safe. Slowly, she turned her head, again breathing in the faint scent that she associated with him. Starship engines... some sort of pungent cleaner. She wrinkled her nose at first, but the combination wasn't that unpleasant. Her innate sense of smell was rather handy when it came to her duties.

Xan laughed, "I need to clean this beskar'gam a bit better." he said after he saw her wrinkle her nose at him. She grinned at him and shook her head. "I don't mind the smell of starship engines... but what is that more pungent smell? It's....biting..." She smiled slightly. "It's not bad, just...strong."

"Engine de-greaser," Xan said frowning. "A rare fungal liquid that eats away grease. Organic but pungent." She wrinkled her nose slightly. "Organic is better, but spast, that's strong..." she trailed off slightly, her fingers starting to trace the designs on his red armor.

"I'll have to do something about that." Xan said, "Perhaps I should get rid of it."

"No.....maybe you need to dilute it with something...?" she suggested, though she was rather more interested in the significance of his armor decorations at the moment.

Perhaps.." Xan said, "Mandalorian armor designs depend on the individual more then customs though we do have them." She looked up at him, quirking an eyebrow. "Was I thinking THAT loudly?" Xan smiled. "Empathy is one of my stronger skills, _Cal'ika_." She blushed. "Just not used to people being so forward about it..." Xan scowled "Ni ceta (I'm sorry)..."

"No...don't be sorry. I like that you are. Everyone else is always walking on eggshells, it seems..."

Xan smiled. "I know. I don't like that either." A gentle smile touched her lips. "Is there anything you'd like to do for the evening while you're here...?" Xan thought. "I'm not sure....unless you got an idea?" and with that he winked.

"I ..uh..." she cleared her throat nervously. "It was a ...thought....."

"Hmmm....yes I can tell." Xan laughed. "Course I can always give you space to unwind if you need." he added gently. She looked down for a moment, her fingers tracing the patterns across his chestplate.

"It's alright...I want you here. It's nice to have someone around that doesn't make feel like I'm being watched under a magnifying glass..." she admitted softly as she gently pulled him over to the couch.

Xan smiled and allowed himself to be pulled to the couch silently. Once sitting down he sighed. "I shouldn't stay too long, we do have the duel tomorrow and then I have to start your training for your _verd'goten._ "

She swallowed. It wasn't so much that she was...scared...well maybe she was. But she didn't really know what to expect. But that didn't keep her from wanting to go through with it. "What...exactly will that involve?" she asked softly, seizing his hand gently in hers.

"I think tomorrow we should start with hand to hand combat, striking, grappling. that type of thing. Mandalorian hand to hand is different then say Teras Kasi."

She raised an eyebrow at that. "How do you mean..?" she reached blindly for her tea mug, guiding Xan's caf to him with the Force. "I think it got cold.." she said apologetically. Xan didn't mind, he wasn't interested in the caf now. "Mandalorian techniques are meant to disable and kill if you have no other weapon. Teras Kasi can be but it's usually used by Jedi to transition into other weapons, like sabers. Mandalorian hand to hand is a skill on its own."

"I know quite a bit of the Teras Kasi... but I never got beyond the first level of training.." She sighed and then chuckled. "But, it will be something new for me. I like learning new things..." she told him with a smile as she sipped at her tea, lowering his caf gently to the table again when he showed no interest.

Xan smiled and using the Force, he grabbed the cup and floated to the sink, dumped out the cold caf. Then he brought it by the caf pot, pulled out the pot and then began to pour himself a fresh, hot cup still using the Force. He then brought the fresh cup back to him and the couch before setting it on the table in front of them "I don't do that often, but I didn't want to get up." She just grinned. "Some would consider that...frivolous use of the Force, but I don't. I do the same thing when I'm studying or busy in the medical ward.."

Xan frowned. "And that's called Jedi nonsense. The force is a central part of our lives. If we rely all our skills on the force then it becomes a powerful ally. Frivolous use? No....only thing frivolous is using it when you shouldn't. And I had a good reason." She nodded. "Precisely." She drained the last of her tea, and sat back on the couch, tucking her feet beneath her. "The duel's at 1400...what time did you want to meet?"

"10:00 for breakfast at my quarters? I make a mean breakfast."

Callista grinned. "I'd like that, very much. I usually just have cereal and tea in the mornings because I'm so busy..."

Xan nodded. "Time for that to change a little." He kissed her hand then drained his caf rather quickly, despite it being hot. "I was thirsty." She blinked a little in surprise, but smiled as he kissed her hand.

"You know, you can scald the lining of your throat and your tongue that way..."

Xan shrugged. "You get used to it in my line of work."

Callista just shook her head, chuckling. "I guess so..." She looked around her quarters for a moment, trying to think of a place to display the sword.

Xan read her mind again. "Don't get used to displaying it, _Cal'ika_. You may need it to be functional if you do pass your _verd'goten._ "

She blushed. "Sorry..." Then she looked at him. "I'll learn to use a sword as well...?"

"A sword, a blaster, a ripper, flamethrowers, bare and hands and feet. you must become an all-rounded warrior. Close range, sniper distance. Piloting and more." She smiled a little. "My piloting skills are... passable. I can repair a hyperdrive. I had to do so once when it blew in the middle of a run."

Xan smiled. "Repair skills will be good. We'll have to tighten up your piloting sometime though." His face grew serious. "If you take this path, while your healing abilities will still be your primary field, you may find yourself in the field a lot more then at the medcenters."

She nodded quietly. "I've had the sense that was going to happen sooner or later anyway....." She sighed. "Besides, Jedi robes make me stand out like a Hutt at a state dinner... And they get in the way.."

Xan laughed. "Some Hutts liked state dinners, especially when they got thirds. But you'll still stick out at times, _beskar'gam_ is bad for that."

"Yeah... so I noticed," she replied with a lopsided grin as she lightly elbowed him in the ribs.

Xan laughed again. "So 1000 then? Master's residency. Room 215."

" _Elek_...." she answered slowly, pronouncing the word carefully as she squeezed his hand. "Looks like formal robes again for me..." she said as she rolled her eyes slightly.

"No....don't worry about that. Come in comfortable clothes, bring robes for going down to the duel." Xan said. "That way you can relax for a while before getting back into the monkey suit."

She smiled and made a face. "I can see a purpose for them at times, but it just gets old... especially when I'm here. Though when I visit the General, I always wear robes..." There was just something about Arie that made Callista feel the need to be respectful. She couldn't bring herself to address Arie by her first name.

"I'll show you tomorrow the Mandalorian solution to that problem. that way you'll get the best of both worlds." Xan smiled. She smiled slightly. "I'd like that... I feel... just clumsy sometimes in robes." Xan nodded. "I have normal robes. Just never use them."

"So what do you do then...?" Callista asked curiously. She could feel herself starting to get tired, but she could wait a bit longer. She enjoyed his company.

"I'll show you tomorrow." he said with a wink. "Meanwhile we both better get some shut eye."

" _Elek_..." she said carefully in the midst of stifling a yawn. Then she leaned forward and hugged him firmly, burying her face against his shoulder as she inhaled his scent once more. Xan held her close for a second and then, leaned his forehead against hers for a few seconds. "Retur'cye Mhi Cal'ika. I'll see you at 10:00."

"Sleep well, Xan..." she replied softly as she leaned into him.

Xan eventually broke off the embrace and headed out the door after saying a cheery good night once again. He headed off to his quarters highly content and at the same time, knowing his life had completely changed, and for the better.

Callista watched him go, until her door closed upon his back. She could feel him moving down the hall to the lift. Humming softly to herself, she rose and gathered the two mugs, putting them into the cleaning station before she moved off to her room and changed into her sleep clothes. The next few days were going to be interesting..

* * *

Ainar pulled the robe tighter around his frame as he walked through the lower levels of Coruscant, it was a new day but down here...things always stayed dark. He hadn't slept at all, after Arie's dinner party he rang up the police enforcement office and put himself on shift for the lower levels in the neighborhood, he needed the time to think and some hands-on work eased his mind...which was exactly what he hated.

He blamed Arie for his misfortune, since he became her padawan all those years ago she had led him into countless battles, him and Kevin side by side...Morten, Olorin, Mark....friends he long since lost contact with. Kevin had died on one of those missions, his closest friend for years died on that forsaken rock and with it a part of his innocence died. He was taught that being a Jedi was to be a keeper of the peace, a scholar and a teacher...but his reputation was less than stellar....Bryn Jayde had left...she had been his most promising student, after that there were a few he helped guide but he had refused to take on a padawan....until Kevin's only son came of age....Arie had asked him to train the boy, and Ainar accepted. But he wasn't sure he was helping the boy...

Ter-Lon was about to start his trials today, and Ainar was down here working. Policing the streets instead of the padawans and Knights who usually did the job...but he felt like he needed to move, to do some actual work. Something that he hated.

It was raining and he pulled the hood over his head and snuck into a small side street, there was something in the air. A shade of mistrust and anger and he kept to the shadows, moving slowly through the garbage bins and stepping lightly as he moved closer and closer to the noise of people talking loudly. Arguing about something.

He crept closer and put his hand on his lightsaber...there were three men and a Wookiee arguing loudly with blasters armed....he stretched out with his senses and tried to probe the men for information....but there was still this cloud hanging over him, numbing him...

He looked around for bystanders, but the street was clear so he moved forward slowly, preparing to intervene....he had to move fast, Ter-Lon was probably waiting to see him.


	10. Chapter 10

Myk-Ron snuffed his last cigarette, downed the last bit of whiskey, and stepped into the house he and Arie shared. He kicked off his boots just inside the door, placed his empty glass on the low table in front of the sofa, and moved to the hallway leading to what had been his and Arie's room...a lifetime ago.

The Rogue paused at that. She'd moved on after he died. He couldn't blame her, and he didn't. For him, those years had taken several lifeages, and no time at all. His love for her was the same as it had always been. In his mind, the years since he'd left existed only as a terrible dream. But, for her...

He stopped at the open door and saw Arie in the bed. Her chest rose and fell in the steady rhythm of sleep. She was beautiful. Age had added lines around her eyes and at the corners of her mouth, but she retained her fighter's frame and dancer's grace throughout time. He longed to be with her, but hesitated. Coming back from the dead was taxing enough on him, but it had to be rough on her as well. He could feel her confusion at times, and he understood it. They'd have to rebuild their lives together, have to reconcile the fact that Arie had lived without him, that she had children, that they had a grandchild.

I can't believe how nervous I am about meeting him, Myk shook his head. _I wonder if he looks like Kevin..._

He looked back to Arie then. Sleep well, Princess, he sent her through the Force and saw a smile form on her lips. He turned back and flopped down on the couch.

Callista and her friend, Xan, an interesting match they made. She had heart, and lots of it, and Myk could tell she'd be figuring into the bigger picture in a big way. The Mando, Myk smiled. He'll sure come in handy in the fight to come.

Most Jedi would frown upon the careless use of the Force, but Myk-Ron lifted a hand and across the room, the switch turned off and the lights cut out. Minutes later, sleep, real sleep, took the Rogue.

Arie woke to an empty bed, and for a heartbeat feared that it had all been a dream. But, the smells of breakfast and good strong caf flowing from the kitchen negated that frightful thought. She paused before climbing out of bed, seeing that Myk's side had remained unused. She frowned at that. I had hoped...she thought. Hoped...what? That he'd jump into bed with a 74-year-old? He's thirty-eight still. She shook her head in an attempt to physically shake those thoughts from her head. No...he has his reasons, I'm sure, She told herself. Trust him. It will be okay.

After changing into a pair of tight-fitting pants, and a military cut blue blouse, she pulled her hair back int a pony tail and checked herself in the mirror. She'd have to stop at the office today, but only for a moment, and she was hoping not to attract a crowd. She grabbed up her datapad and comlink and entered the kitchen to find Myk cooking up an old favorite of his, flap-jacks. He gave her a big smile when he looked up from his cooking, and some of her earlier doubt melted away.

“Hey, there, beautiful,” He said, handing her a mug of caf as she took a seat at the counter.

“Hey, there, yourself,” She replied sipping at the caf. “Sleep well?”

“I think the couch remembers me,” Myk-Ron ran a hand back through his rakish hair. “I...uh...didn't want to assume...”

“Rogue,” She said and took his hand. “Tonight, you sleep where you belong.”

Myk-Ron smiled warmly and kissed her on the forehead. “I love you.”

“And, I love you,” Arie replied.

Myk grabbed a couple of plates and served up the flap-jacks. “So, when do I get to meet Ter-Lon?” He asked around a mouthful. “Before I have to put him to the test, I hope?”

“Yes, Dear,” Arie laughed at the dribble of syrup on Myk's chin and wiped it clean with a towel.

“Thanks,” he looked sheepish.

“No worries,” She smiled. “We'll stop by Ter-Lon's quarters at the Temple. Which reminds me, you'll need to wear Jedi robes for this.”

Myk-Ron sighed in mock frustration. “I suppose...”

“Oh, don't look so sullen,” Arie admonished him. “You look good in them, and I've got your old set of blacks in the closet.”

“Great,” The Rogue smiled, sipping at his own mug. “Brown just isn't my color.”

“Oh, I don't know,” Arie shrugged. “It'd match those eyes of yours, and I'm sure Ainar would be more than willing to let you borrow a set...”

Myk-Ron choked on some of his caf and shot her a look of bewilderment. She laughed at the Rogue, and playfully mussed his hair. “I'm teasing you, Myk. Thanks for the breakfast. Now, I suggest you hit the 'fresher while I get this cleaned up. I have to stop over at the office for a while, but I will meet you at the Temple by Noon.”

“As you wish, Princess,” He kissed her on the cheek before heading back to the refresher. Arie tucked her officer's cap under her left arm, grinning, she watched him head down the hall as if he had never left....had never been gone... She shook her head, smiling; headed out the door to the Imperial Palace to get a head start on her day's work.

* * *

Callista woke slowly, the golden rays of the sun touching her face as she rolled over and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She glanced at the wall chrono; 0900. She'd better get moving. With a soft grunt, she stood and stumbled to the 'fresher. a shower always helped. Five minutes later, she was back in the kitchen, toweling her hair dry as she prepared her tea using the Force. The spicy aroma wafted across the apartment as she poured the hot water over the teabag. She let it sit, and then began dressing again. This time, she'd found a loose skirt and blouse. It felt a bit looser than robes.

Xan woke up and after a quick shower, he put on some comfortable but clean house clothes and began to cook the breakfast he invited Callista over for. Grillcakes, nausage and nerf strips, toast on the side and behot and caf to drink.

Forty minutes later, Callista tucked her robes into a bag and slung them over her shoulder before she left her apartment and headed for the lift. Xan's apartment in the Master's Residency was one floor up, and two hallways over. The ride was silent, and the lift deposited her to the correct floor with out incident. She hummed a soft tune as she made her way towards his quarters.

Xan could hear something from the hall and stretched out his awareness and felt Callista coming down the hall. "Open Door," he said out loud and the computer opened the apartment door for her. "Come on in Cal'ika; got my hands full at the moment." Seeing the door open in front of her, Callista stepped into the room. "Morning, Xan. I hope you slept well?" She sniffed the aromas floating over from the kitchen. "That smells wonderful. Sure you don't want a hand...?"

Xan smiled. " _Jate vaatur, Cal'ika_ , I slept adequately if not well," he said, kind of turning red at the gills if he had them. "No no, you sit down now. Never get in the way of a Master chef at work," he said winking. She just grinned and shook her head. "If you're sure..." She set her bag down on one of the chairs at the kitchen island and slid easily into one after a moment. Xan grinned in return. "I'm sure, besides I'm almost done." He said as he flipped the last grillcake out of the pan. "So how was your sleep?" She chuckled a little. "Not long enough... I woke early. I'm used to being up in the early dawn hours for my rounds."

Xan chuckled. "Yes, I forget that the healer Jedi pretty much keep to doctor's hours." He started filling up plates with the food and before long set a pile of 3 cakes, 4 nausage links and strips in front of Callista. "Eat up now." She smiled slightly. "Yeah... I'm usually up by 0600. Rounds are done by 0800. Then I have lessons with the General for most of the day...." She fell silent then and began to dig into the food on her plate. Xan nodded and place his own plate on the table before grabbing to steaming pots of liquid, one was obviously caf in color. " _Behot_?"

"Yes, please.." she said, nodding. "I remember when you introduced me to it. I've been trying to find more of it, actually..."

Xan poured her a cup of the steaming liquid. "It's hard to find outside of the Mandalorian Empire. But it can be found. Only it's called Candaerous' antiseptic. As behot has natural antiseptic qualities for healing."

She grinned. "Really? I'll have to do some research on it, then...." Nodding her thanks, she raised the cup to her lips and took a cautious sip. It wasn't too hot, and she took a couple of swallows. "That... helped. A lot. I tend to feel very fuzzy in the mornings, and caf gived me jitters..." Xan laughed "You'll be surprised then, Behot has more caffeine present in it then caf." Xan began to tuck into his own meal. "So why is the Rogue dueling with Master Kardde anyway?"

At Xan's question, she choked slightly. "Well.... I do know that Myk is quite an accomplished swordsman. And I've seen Master Karrde's skill first hand. He trained me when I can to the Temple. I haven't personally seen Myk's skills, but I know both of them continually test themselves. The way I look at it, what better way to test oneself and one's....counterpart than to test the skills of a man who has been missing for 45 years?"

Xan scowled a bit, this was the part of the story he wasn't in the know about. "How did he go missing for so long and not age one bit?"

"He mentioned something during dinner about a Force hibernation that his Master had taught him, I believe... I'd personally be interested in researching how exactly it's done. He doesn't look like he aged at all."

Xan frowned. "It'll be interesting for sure to see this duel. Reminds me a little of the _Briirud Akaanire_ (battle circles) we have back home." he mused around another mouthful of grillcakes.

"The what...?" Callista frowned at yet another unfamiliar word as she swallowed a bite of her own breakfast.

"Battle circles. Mandalorians use them to settle disputes or to test each other. Also some Mand'alore have been chosen from the winner of a battle circle."

"Interesting...." she mused. "You'll have to tell me more about that later. It might make more sense after the duel..."

Xan nodded "If we have time before your first lesson I will." He said finishing off his food. He sat back in his chair, sipping at his caf slowly. "I'd like that..." she said quietly as she finished cleaning the last of the nausage and gravy from her plate. "What time did you want to do the first lesson...? I believe Ter-Lon's Trials are scheduled to begin about an hour after Myk and Master Karrde's duel..."

"Well I guess after the Trials would be a good time, I think I'll want a crowd to watch this first time. Just to get across how serious these trials you are taking are." Her eyes widened. "Alright. I'm sure Myk and Master Karrde would come... Probably the General also..." Xan nodded. "Just remember this is completely different than Jedi training." with that he finished his caf. She nodded. "I know, Xan..." she reached over and took his hand, just holding the contact for a long moment. "So what's this surprise..?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Xan smiled "Well if you...." he paused; "no, _when_ you pass your trials, you'll get your own set of beskar'gam. But for formal occasions, or just if you wish to, there is something else you can wear along with it." With that, he got up from the table and retreated to the bedroom and after a minute or so came out wearing a uniquely styled robe over his armor. She watched him go into the bedroom, and when he came out again, she smiled. The robe was simply cut, and it gave an elegant formal look without getting in the way. "I like it..." she said after a moment.

"The bottom of this robe is in the style of a kama, or the Mandalorian kilt. Some Mando'ade wear kama along with their armor." he said "I only wear this on truly formal occasions, like today." Again she nodded. "It suits you." She stood then, draining the last of her behot. "I suppose I should think about changing soon also... the duel starts in a couple of hours..."

Xan nodded. "Go see to it then, I need to get some work done on the Par'jila anyway. now is a good time. I can pick you up at your flat a half hour before the duel begins?"

"Unless you want some help....?" she shot back at him, a smile playing over her lips. It had been a while since she'd done any maintenance work.

"Well I suppose you can change on the _Par'jila_ , but this is rather messy work," Xan said.

"Then it's a good thing I brought a coverall... I should probably go see about getting some new clothes at some point anyway, my wardrobe is rather lacking..." She smiled slightly. "I brought it along, not knowing when Myk would need our help."

Xan laughed "So is mine, but then I don't keep many clothes around here, they're mainly back at Dral Cerar. Well then, come along. I'll see to those dishes later."

* * *

<Have you heard?> Andrea asked him as they sat together at the rock ledge next to one of the fountains.

<Word spread like wildfire after Ter-lon told his friends,> Steffan said with a chuckle. The students of the Temple knew him to be an excellent, but demanding, instructor in lightsaber technique and was regarded as one of the best swordsmen in the Order. Like them, Steffan too was looking forward to this spar. <But I wasn’t thinking that every single student that we allowed to return to Coruscant during this trying time to be around watching it.>

They were using their native Cataani instead of Basic, something they did more at home or for a private conversation abroad. It was lyrical, almost, and not one that was easy to learn because of the inflection of certain words. Andrea giggled at his words softly as she looked around to where the students were gathering.

<I think there are a few with holocams to record and show this to the others back on Cataani and Chandrilla,> she said as she giggled some more.

<As long as they don’t broadcast this in realtime,> Steffan said, sending the message out mentally to the students as he said it. <We don’t need the chance of this getting picked up by the wrong people.>

<Why not?> Andrea asked him. <Might be a good intimidation factor.>

Steffan shot a father’s disapproving look before sitting down with her and changing the subject. <Speaking of broadcasts, someone did spend a good deal of time on the hypercom last night. You almost overslept.>

Andrea responded with blush cheeks. <Edward wanted to see if I was okay since we had to delay our return home.>

Steffan nodded. <He’s a good man, Andrea. He showed moral courage to withstand Welt on Dagobah…and Jameson has told me he intends to ask you.>

She smiled and leaned against him. <I know my answer, daddy.>

<Shassa,> he said. <You grew up too fast on me, angel. I wish I had been around more….>

<Don’t you start that,> she told him. <You had your duties when I was a child and we had tons of time together when I was your padawan. I may be a Jedi Knight now and a future princess and possible queen…but I will always be your little girl.>

That made the old Cataani smile then turn his head as he heard the ground floor doors to the Room open. He instantly felt Arie’s and Myk’s presence.

<Time,> he said as he got up and started to remove his blue robe.

<Have fun,> Andrea said with a grin. She had her own holocam ready to record this sparring match.

* * *

They arrived at the Temple just before noon. Ter-Lon's trial was scheduled for early evening, and Myk's impromptu duel with Steffan was slated for around fourteen-hundred. The Rogue tugged at the collar of his black and gray Jedi robes, and adjusted his belt. His lightsaber hung at his right hip, and he idly brushed his hand along the pommel. Arie, to his left, looked stunning in her blue and black robes. Her hair was down and flowed in the wind as the two climbed the steps to the grand entrance way. She had changed into the Jedi Garb after leaving her office, the better to suit the occasion.

They made their way to Ter-Lon's quarters without incident. Though Myk could feel a strange curiosity in the air, and felt more than a few pairs of eyes linger on the Rogue and his wife as they walked the hallways of the Temple.

 _We do kind of stand out,_ he heard Arie's voice in his head.

Myk threw her a conspiratorial wink, and flashed a rogue grin.

They stood outside the door to Ter-lon's quarters, and Myk drew in a deep breath.

“You ready, Love?” Arie asked.

“As I'll ever be,” He answered. He reached out and knocked on the door. His heart caught a bit when the kid answered the door. A little broader in the shoulders, and with brown hair as opposed to blond, but the spitting image of his father, Kevin.

“Can I help you?” Ter-lon arched an eyebrow in open curiosity. Then he saw Arie and he smiled expansively. “Grandma! What are you doing here?”

Arie hugged her grandson, and smiled. “Well,” she said. “I have someone here I'd really like you to meet. He's going to be testing your saber skills today in the trials.”

“Oh, it's a pleasure to meet you,” Ter-lon said, shaking Myk's hand. “Master...? Why do I feel like I know you...”

“Myk-Ron Dinn,” Myk said, and locked eyes with his grandson.

Ter-lon's grip faltered. He looked at Myk, then back to Arie, the back to Myk again. “H-how?”

“You missed the huge explanation, but we've got all the time in the world to catch up,” Myk-Ron said. “I...uh...by the stars, you look like your father.”

Arie placed her hands on Myk's shoulders and gave them a reassuring squeeze. Ter-lon searched the Rogue's features for a long moment, and then nearly tackled him with a hug. Myk-Ron released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and returned the hug fiercely. For a moment, it was like holding his son again, and he realized then that in a way he was. He smiled at the boy before releasing him.

“We have a LOT of catching up to do, you and I,” The Rogue said.

Ter-lon nodded excitedly. “I've heard so much about you,” He said. “From Dad, Mom, and Grandma. I can't believe you're here! And, you're going to be who I fight in the trials today?!”

“If that's okay with you,” Myk-Ron said.

“Okay with me?” the Kid exclaimed. “Are you kidding? You're a legend with some of the instructors here. Oh, you have to meet Master Karrde! Half the apprentices here spend their days dreaming about a match between you two.”

“Well, I suppose they're in luck then,” Myk shrugged. “We're supposed to have a warm up duel in the Room of a Thousand Fountains at fourteen-hundred hours.”

“By the stars!” Ter-Lon slapped a hand to his forehead. “I have to tell everyone! Grandfather, would you mind if some of my friends watched. It'd be the world to them. Me too!”

“Sure, kid,” The Rogue smiled broadly. “And, after the trials, you and I can spend some time catching up.”

“Fantastic!” Ter-lon hugged his grandfather again, then turned and hugged his grandmother. “Grandma, I'm so happy for you!”

Arie laughed. “Me too, Ter-lon. Me too.”

“Well, I'd better run,” Ter-lon said. “I'll see you both shortly. Love you, Grandma!”

“Love you too,” Arie blew the boy a kiss as he hurried down the hall to gather his friends.

“Good kid,” Myk said.

“Oh, you just like that you've got fans,” Arie elbowed him playfully in the ribs.

“Well, it certainly doesn't hurt.”

Arie rolled her eyes. "C'mon, nerfherder. Steffan will be waiting."

Hand in hand, the two made their way to the Room of a Thousand Fountains.

“Good morning Arie…Myk,” Steffan said, switching back to Basic as he nodded to them.

“Good morning, brother,” Arie said as she hugged him, then moved to give Andrea a hug.

“Got the cam ready?” she whispered to Andrea.

“All set,” Andrea answered with a wink.

Steffan and Myk looked at the exchange and then looked to see an even larger group of students looking down from above. “You’d think that this was an epic event,” Steffan joking said as he shook his head.

“We should’ve have sold tickets,” Myk said, bringing a laugh out of all of them. “Well, whenever you’re ready.”

Steffan walked out into the open area that the fountains surrounded as Myk took off his outer robe. He was already sizing up his opponent, his walk, his stance, everything. He could also sense that Myk was doing the same. This is definitely going to be a challenge.

They both drew their lightsabers from their belt. Myk ignited his first and Steffan was impressed by the solid silver blade. Steffan lit his blade, its silver core possessed a blue hue to it that made Myk curious as to the crystals that went to make the effect. As with their draw, they assumed their stances at the same time.

None of the moves were planned, but all who watched wondered otherwise. If it had not been for the sound of the falling waters, you might have heard a pin drop.

Anytime now, Arie thought. As though her thoughts were a trigger, the two moved on each other with such speed. She was the only one who had not placed a wager on this spar.

Steffan had mastered the second, third, and fifth forms primarily because during the course of his studies at the Academy and beyond, his technique blended techniques from all three forms. The movements were so fluid that only an experienced eye could tell the differences. Myk’s style was new to Steffan. He almost felt like Myk’s technique was the same, blending different styles together.

But Arie, who was watching from above with the other students, did notice one thing that was the same between them. They’re both going deeper and deeper into the Force, she thought as she watched their moves, realization coming to her. Both of them…their moves aren’t just blending different forms together into one….they’re both using the Seventh Form. I don’t remember Myk picking up on it. And when did Steffan start learning it?

The Room of a Thousand Fountains was a giant atrium in the very heart of the Jedi Temple. A hundred meters long and wide, with a vaulted ceiling nearly half that in height, it's predominant feature was the massive fountain in the center of the room. A thousand jets of water played out above a huge stone basin, lending the room it's name. Smaller fountains were spaced evenly around the larger central one and meandering paths wound their way through the open room and around each fountain. Grass grew in the open areas and birds flew near the crystal ceiling.

Myk and Arie strode down the central walkway. Jedi students and Masters congregated about the many fountains, but their attention turned to the two as they made their entrance. Soft music floated on the circulated air, and sitting at the base of the central fountain was Steffan Karrde. The warrior held a flute to his lips and seemed to be lost in the flowing melody he was playing.

The Rogue stopped meters from the man and listened to the music. In its rich depth, Myk-Ron found a strong undercurrent that resonated in his very being. This would be good, the Rogue smiled.

He caught sight of Xan and Callista coming toward them and nodded at the two. Callista gave Arie a hug and grinned at Myk-Ron. "Come to the show?" The Rogue asked.

Callista grinned and turned to smile at Xan. "Wouldn't miss it, Myk!" Her tone was full of excitement. She'd seen Steffan fight - hell she'd trained with the man. But Myk was an enigma to her. Xan once again wore his _beskar'gam_ , the helmet clipped to his belt. He reached over and clasped Myk's arm in the same fashion as the night before, chuckling. " _Cal'ika_ couldn't stop talking about it all night..." he answered.

At Xan's words, Callista blushed. "We talked pretty late.."

"Well, I'll try not to disappoint...ah, here comes Ter-Lon," Myk nodded hello to his grandson as the boy approached.

"Hello, grandfather," He said, and Myk winced.

"Do me a favor, kid," He said. "Call me 'Myk' or 'Pops' or something. 'Grandfather' makes me feel old.”

Callista smirked slightly at Ter-lon's expression. She'd met him once before, several years ago, not long after beginning her training at the Temple. "Hello, Ter-Lon..." She stepped forward to hug him firmly, but let go after a second.

"Hey Callista," Ter-Lon smiled before turning back to Myk-Ron. "Some of the other apprentices have been taking bets on the fight."

"Oh wonderful," Arie sighed. "You're here for a few hours and you're already a bad influence." She punched Myk lightly in the shoulder.

"It's not my fault," The Rogue said.

Xan just laughed. "It must be his charming personality."

"The odds are-" Ter-Lon started, but Myk cut him off.

"Uh-uh, kid," He said. "Surely your grandmother would have told you the rule with Corellians and the odds."

“Never tell a Corellian the odds..." Callista warned Ter-Lon sternly, but there was a twinkle in her eye.

"I've never put any stock in them anyway," Myk winked.

"Much to the chagrin of his Wife," Arie draped an arm around his waist and squeezed. "How've you been, Callista? We didn't get much of a chance to talk last night."

A slight blush touched Callista's cheeks. "I've been rather occupied with my studies lately. Having Xan here to visit is a nice distraction..." she admitted after a moment, knowing Arie could sense her emotions. "We can catch up after the Trials perhaps?"

"That'd be wonderful, I'm sure Myk-Ron will want to slink off to some pub afterward with his adoring fans. We'll have plenty of time," Arie smiled warmly at the girl.

"Indeed," came a man's voice. The music had stopped and Steffan Karrde joined the group. "It would appear we've attracted some attention."

Callista smiled and nodded to Steffan. "Fair morning, Master Karrde, I trust you slept well?" She nodded to Arie's comment. "I'd love to, Master." Xan smiled slightly, squeezing her hand briefly. He could feel the training warring with her urge to just relax.

"It would seem that way, Master Karrde," Myk said.

"Please, call me Steffan," The Cataani said.

"You got it, pal," Myk nodded. "Shall we just get to it then?"

"You'll wait for the rest of us to get some distance, I'd hope," Arie shook her head at the Rogue before whispering in Callista's direction. "Men."

Callista grinned and rolled her eyes, receiving a good-natured jab in the ribs from Xan. She squeaked in surprise and rubbed her side as he just smiled and shrugged, as if to say "Oops.."

"C'mon, Grandma," Ter-Lon said. "My friends and I have a great spot picked out. Callista, perhaps you and your friend would like to join us?"

A slow smile spread across her face as she nodded. "Certainly, Ter-Lon..." She shared a look with Myk for a moment, silently wishing him well as she followed Arie and Ter-Lon. Xan surprised her by gently taking her hand and helping her wend her way through the crowd.

Myk-Ron watched as the small group made their way to an alcove of benches well away from the central fountain, but still in good view.

“Well, I suppose there's no backing out now,” Steffan chuckled.

“Would you really want to?” Myk arched an eyebrow at the man as he removed his outer robe and set it on a bench near the central walkway.

“Of course not,” Steffan grinned as he too removed his outer robe and set it next to Myk-Ron's. The Cataani then strode to stand on the central walkway near the fountain. Myk-Ron went to stand five meters from Karrde on the same walkway, his back to the entrance thirty meters back.

Steffan and Myk unclipped their lightsabers from their belts at the same time, and any conversation that had been going on immediately stopped. The room seemed to hold its breath. Myk-Ron nodded to his opponent, and rolled his head around on his neck to loosen it. He stretched out his arms and legs before settling into an easy form III stance. His blade unlit, he watched as Steffan went through a series of slow katas.

Myk-Ron could feel the Force flowing in and around Steffan, and grinned once more. 'You're not playing around', he thought. 'Good, neither will I.'

The Rogue then shifted his stance. He splayed his feet a bit wider than shoulder-width apart and dropped into a kind of crouch. His right hand held his blade, still unlit, behind his back and slightly raised. His left hand played out in front of him and nearly touched the ground. His head hung loose on his shoulders, and he closed his eyes. With a calming breath, he began to channel the Force into and through himself. The hairs on the backs of his arms began to stand on end as the energy rushed through him. He looked up then. His eyes nearly glowed with electricity.

Karrde paused and smiled a predatory smile before flipping his hilt into a reverse grip and assuming a more vertical stance. His right hand held his blade, unlit, straight down at his side. His left he kept in front, open and easy. His feet were shoulder-width apart, his left leading, his right slightly back, presenting Myk-Ron with a limited profile, and hiding the exact location of his lightsaber.

The Force swirled around the two like a gust of wind, and then abruptly stood still. The silence was deafening as the two warriors eyed each other across the distance. Time stood still, and even the birds had ceased their chirping in anticipation of what was to come.

_And it came like a crack of lightning._

Steffan had crossed the five-meter gap in the blink of an eye, swinging his blue-silver blade in a back-hand arc at the Rogue, igniting the weapon mid-swing. The Rouge brought his own blade forward in a sweeping block as he leaped up and back in a twisting flip that would land him another five meters back. His feet hit the ground and he rushed his opponent. His silver blade lashed out at the head level for Karrde, who caught the blow close to the hilt with his own blade before riposting in a lunge for Myk's abdomen. Myk batted the blow out wide, and stepped in close to the Catanni, ramming left shoulder into the warrior and staggering him back.

Steffan arched an eyebrow as though to say, “you want to play rough?”

Myk-Ron twirled his saber through an infinity loop and raised his hand, palm up. With a smile, he beckoned Karrde to attack.

The two warriors rushed each other then, and the impact of their blades sparked brilliantly. The grass around them was pressed flat with the Force of their blows. The attacks flew faster then. Faster than some of the apprentices could track. Their blades became solid paths of light, weaving a deadly pattern around the two combatants. They crashed together again and again in rapid succession as the two fought on.

Steffan brought his blade crashing down on the Rogue in an overhead swing. The Rogue caught the blow in the middle of his blade held horizontal just above his head. Myk-Ron gathered the Force then, and hit the Cataani with an upward Force push that sent the man flying. Steffan twisted through the air in a flip that landed him atop the central fountain. Myk-Ron rushed the base and leapt up at the Cataani, his silver blade flashing. Steffan blocked Myk's attack, and hit the Rogue with a Force-blow of his own. Myk-Ron felt the blow like a solid kick to the chest, he rolled with the momentum and hit the ground rolling. He sensed Steffan coming down on top of him and he planted his left hand on the ground mid-roll, launching himself up and away from Steffan's spinning blade. Nearly before his boots touched the ground, he was on the Catanni once more.

The fight ranged across the room, neither warrior clearly gaining the upper hand on the other. Their movements flowed with the current of the Force being drawn through the both of them. Every attack came immediately after a block, flowing with the rhythm of the fight. Their blades flashed with increased speed and fervor as the fight flowed on. In each other they had found worthy opponents. Each capable of taking the other to the outer limits of their skill, and pushing beyond those limits.

Steffan snapped off a round-house kick at Myk's stomach, but the Rogue wasn't there and his kick sailed on through the air. Taking advantage of his opponent's momentary lapse in balance, Myk swept a low kick of his own that took Steffan off his feet. Wasting no time, the Rogue brought his blade down in a sweep at the Cataani's midsection. Somehow, the warrior managed a block even as his back hit the ferrocrete of the walkway. He rolled away from the Rogue and got his feet back under him. Myk rushed Karrde, and feinted high-right before slashing low left. Steffan caught the blow and gathered the Force for another push at Myk-Ron. The Rogue, meanwhile, built up a Force push of his own. Their blades locked, and Steffan and Myk attacked at once. Their hands came up and stopped a hand's width apart. The Force flowing between them was nearly visible as each focused more and more into the attack. With a sound like thunder, both men were flung in opposite directions. Myk landed in a crouch and straightened. Steffan, likewise stood from his landing spot.

Wordlessly, the two stalked toward each other. Each step purposeful, slow, determined. As they neared each other, both threw their blades into warring infinity loops engulfing both of them in walls of silver and blue-silver light. Their blades met with enough force to stagger them both, but Myk pressed in immediately. He cut two quick blows at Steffan's right shoulder before throwing a crushing shot at his left. The Cataani rolled with the force of the blow and whipped his blade around in a horizontal arc at Myk's waist. Instead of blocking the blow with his saber, Myk-Ron rushed in and managed to catch Steffan's wrist in his left hand. He brought his own blade up to the Catanni's neck and held it there.

“You're good,” Myk said, and meant it with every fiber of his being. He released Steffan and extinguished his blade.

“Likewise,” The Cataani grinned as he too extinguished his lightsaber. “Though this day is yours it would seem.”

“I tried something new,” Myk shrugged. “It worked today. Who knows what will happen next time?” Myk took a step back and bowed to Steffan. “Well fought, sir. Well fought.”

Steffan returned the bow. “You as well.”

A cheer went up in the crowd and soon the two warriors were surrounded by enthusiastic apprentices and Masters alike.

* * *

The duel was... intense. News had spread throughout the Temple, and Callista was still surprised at how many people had come. She settled into her seat next to Xan, watching as the two Masters traded blows, their blades moving almost too fast for the eye to follow. Their skill and control of the Force left her feeling breathless and she couldn't pull her gaze away. Soon enough though, the duel ended, and both men bowed to each other. The polite applause brought Callista back to the present.

Xan sat impressed by the power and control both masters displayed in the duel itself, but he also was judging how they moved. "Interesting, lots of speed and control." he said to Callista under his breath. "However it would be key to note that that style displayed there is fine for them to use. But if you take this path, it will be impossible for you to use." Callista turned to look at him. "How do you mean...? I've been studying mostly the fourth form myself..."

"The forms are fine starting points, but they are meant for those that rely on the saber and the Force primarily. My fighting style is completely different to that. And you'll find that the ability to flip around or cartwheel out of range of a blow is next to impossible in beskar'gam." She shrugged. "I don't do much of the acrobatics anyway... I was focusing more on the saber work... but as you said earlier, I'll be learning many other weapons as well."

Xan nodded. "For us, the saber will still be important, but our other weapons are given the same respect as a lightsaber is. they are tools, not weapons. You'll be surprised how a seemingly inelegant weapon such as a blaster or a ripper can be elegant if used properly." Callista pondered that for a moment, and then nodded. "And just using a lightsaber does present a slight problem. If our opponent is using something other than a blaster or another saber, then if we only had the saber and those skills, we'd be rather stuck."

Xan nodded "It's why we must be able to use whatever tool we can use in order to defeat our enemy. But not just weapons, but our bodies themselves and the Force." Xan chuckled a little. "And in my area of work, my tools stretch beyond even that.'

"What do you mean...?" she asked, a note of curiosity in her words. "The intelligence work?"

"Yeah, I do a lot of things, not all of which particularly pleasant in order to achieve the goals of the Order. I have slight healing ability myself and i use that if need be, but I'm talking about slicing, threats or negotiations, bribes. anything I can use to achieve my goal and that of the Order's."

"Those would indeed be useful... and necessary skills for someone in that field. Though I'm not really sure I could see myself doing intel work..."

Xan nodded, "Nor am I suggesting you change fields. I'm just stating this as an example of how a Mandalorian looks at things." Then he smiled. "But that duel was pretty good, for a couple of old men anyway." he grinned.

Callista covered hey mouth with her hands, trying to stifle her laughter. "Indeed, it was. I was rather impressed. I've seen Master Karrde's skill with the blade. But Myk's.....just...wow..."

"Perhaps 45 years in commune with the Force taught him things that even he is just starting to understand. that could explain it." he mused.

Callista smiled. "That... actually makes some sense. I've read about how Master Kenobi communed with Qui-Gon Jinn... Maybe it's something similar to that?"

"Perhaps. Master Kenobi's teachings taught us how to become one with the Force upon death. This is a bit different." Xan scowled in thought.

"We could always ask, you know... Myk's not that unapproachable, remember?"

"We could, but I think he's still searching for answers on that. I'd rather give him space to find some of them." But then he winked at Callista. "Doesn't mean we can't congratulate him on his performance though."

"Of course not! It was.....spectacular... I've never seen someone demonstrate that much skill..."

Xan climbed to his feet. "Well let's get over there then, before the General and his grandson take all his attention."

"Mmm." Callista mused. "I think that's a rather losing battle...." She could see Arie and Ter-Lon already making their way towards Myk.

"Come on, we still got a small window before the grav net gets back online," he said using spacer talk and proceeded to walk over to Myk and Steffan. Shaking her head, Callista just chuckled, lengthening her stride. A few seconds later, she found herself neatly at Myk's elbow.

"Not bad, ner vode (my friends, brothers). not bad at all. I didn't think you would 2 would be able to move that fast in your old age; but I was proven wrong yet again." Xan said with a huge grin on his face.

"Old age?" Myk shot the Mando an indignant look. "Are you going to take that, Steffan?"

"I think he was referring to the both of us, Myk-Ron," The Cataani chuckled. "Though, a lesson on manners will have to wait, I think."

"Right," Myk-Ron nodded. "Ter-Lon's trials." He turned back to Xan then. "My dance card is full for evening, but catch me sometime later. And, I'll show you just what this 'old' Corellian can do." Callista grinned, knowing that was going to be interesting.

"Dance card _me'ven_ (hmm)?" Xan chuckled. "I think I got my own card full now, but you may be interested in watching my next dance," he said in the same vein. Callista watched Myk's reaction on that one. It certainly was going to be an interesting one that Xan had planned.

"Oh," Myk said. "Interesting indeed. Last time I saw a Mando fight...well, they were lighting Vong on fire and blowing things up. I don't think they'll let us do that in the Room of a Thousand Fountains." Callista couldn't help it - she grinned and then giggled, her gaze sliding to Xan. "It's not quite that... explosive..." she ventured.

"Force-sake, Myk-Ron," Arie slapped the Rogue on the belly. "If ego were lasers, the whole of the universe would melt when you spoke." Myk cast a betrayed look at his wife, then grinned wickedly, "Hey, you married me." Callista gaped for a moment, and then she snorted, sharing a knowing look with Arie.

Xan nodded " _Elek_ (Yes), I don't think that would be appropriate. But I think teaching Cal'ika some hand to hand techniques won't cause much damage. To the fountains at least." then after Arie's sentence he laughed. "The universe would melt, I think my armor just dented right now." he joked.

"You catch on quick, pal," Myk threw a wink. "You'll do okay." Callista's gaze slid to Arie again and she rolled her eyes slightly. Men.. she sent to Arie, grinning slightly. Indeed, Arie sent back with a smile. Xan just shook his head, knowing it was nearly pointless to counter that logic.

"If you're done posturing, honey," Arie said to her husband. "I do think it's about time we met with the other Masters. They'll want to go over some things for Ter-Lon's trials."

"Awwww," Myk whined in his best Skywalker impression. "But, I was gonna shoot womprats with my T-16!"

Callista shifted from foot to foot, somewhat nervously. "You want to do it here, Xan...?" The Rogue's eyebrow shot up. "Do what? Here? Now?"

"No, not now, Myk.....after the trials...." she rolled her eyes slightly. "That training session...." she said, blushing.

Xan scowled in thought. "It would be a good idea. After all you chose this path, and these people are close to you, it would get your training of on the right note if you had support early on." but then straightened up a bit. "But it can wait till Ter-Lon's trails are completed. And if he's anything like the General and a certain rogue, then all the better to wait a bit." he winked at Arie. Callista snickered slightly. "That's probably wise. And I can see your point."

Arie smiled at the Mandalorian. "At least there's one man here with a sense of priority."

"Hey," Steffan said as he slid on his outer robe. "I'm right here, you know."

"Oh, you're just as bad, Steffan," She said dismissively. "You just hide it very well." Callista did laugh then. She was starting to loosen up a little, but she still couldn't seem to lose the formality that was habit. Myk smirked, but the smirk turned into a grimace as Arie elbowed him in the ribs and nodded to the east exit. "Come along, Dear," Arie said. "I don't need you corrupting my former Padawan."

"Oh fine," Myk sighed in mock frustration before turning to Xan and Steffan. " _Women_ ," he said.

Callista's eyebrows shot up. "I think it's a little late for that, General.." she replied with a smile of her own.

"Well now....I've never actually been present for a Trial 'cept for my own. I'm curious to see if it's any different then mine was."

Callista tilted her head slightly as she glanced to Arie. "Would it be alright if we observed? My Trials weren't exactly... normal either.." she finished quietly.

"Oh, I imagine so," Steffan answered. "You can view it from the observation level above the training center."

"But, Arie's right," Myk said as he too slid on his outer robe. "We really do need to get going. Xan, Callista, always a pleasure. I'll see you two afterward?"

"Sure, Myk..." Callista said, offering him a smile.

Xan nodded. "Yes of course. we'll be around." he said in his usual blunt manner.

"Good," Myk replied as Arie started to lead him away. "Now, I have to go endure the endless droning of some old relics with nothing better to do."

Callista snickered, trying to stifle it. "Sorry..."

Arie shoved him forward, and looked back apologetically. "You'll have to forgive him. A good fight puts him in a good mood. And, Myk in a good mood is never a great thing." Callista was tempted to disagree, but then she saw the look on Arie's face and she just grinned.

"I heard that, Princess."

"I said it out loud, Nerfherder!" She called back before giving Callista a hug. "If you need an escape from all the testosterone, you know where to find me." Laughing, Callista nodded and returned the hug. "I do. Though I think I can handle it... for now..." she smiled at Xan. "I'll find you tomorrow for our discussion, General.."

"Good," Arie said before turning to Xan. "If you do end up fighting him...well...I have one piece of advice, if you'd care to hear it."

Xan raised an eyebrow. " _Elek, Alor'aan..._." then caught himself. "I mean; Yes, General?"

"We give him a lot of gruff about his ego," she said. "But, in all the years I've known him, he's never bluffed. If you push him, be prepared to be pushed back. He'll mean it as a compliment, but...well...sometimes, his compliments leave bruises."

Xan smiled. "General, Mando'ade are used to bruises and testing. I think we'll be just fine. If he's prepared for a similar outcome that is." he said smiling but with a bit of fire. It was Mandalorian pride in full display.

"Wonderful," Arie sighed with a smile. "I'll get a warehouse cordoned off for that one." She nodded to Xan, winked at Callista, and turned to follow Steffan out. "Be good, Calli. We'll see you later."

Callista just smiled, watching the two Masters as they filed out of the room. "Well, that was....enlightening..." she said after a moment.

Xan chuckled as they began to head out. "That man is like an Ewok in a computer lab. Bad news, unless he's on your side." he shook his head "It's amazing the General hasn't shot him."

"Xan.... you might want to be careful... he could very well wipe the floor with you..."

Xan shrugged. "Perhaps he will, but the challenge will teach me something new. And the honor of losing fairly to a better skilled opponent is as comparable as to winning against one," he said seriously.

"You're right..." she agreed quietly. "We have a little time before the Trials begin..."

Xan smiled. "Well, the training can wait for now. Is there anything you wanted to do while we wait?"

Callista shrugged, glancing around the room for a moment. "Well, I was wondering...will I need to wear something besides my robes for the training session? I do have some other clothes that are easier to move around in."

"You mean like form-fitting stuff?" Xan asked. "Cause that would be best, also a pair of sparring gloves would be good."

"I don't have sparring gloves, and the best I can do is a coverall. As I said before, I have a limited wardrobe..." she shrugged apologetically.

Xan frowned. "Well we should take care of that then. We'd better go see the equipment master. Get you some proper stuff."

Callista nodded. "Sounds like a plan. If I recall, his office is.....one level down from here."

"Well come on then," he said, already heading for the door. "We should get this and you should suit up before heading to the Trials. Cept for the gloves of course. The suit you can wear under your robes." He opened the door and waited for Callista to exit first. She glanced sideways at him as she passed. "That actually sounds more comfortable.... I can't wait to get out of these things..." she said the last almost under her breath as they passed into the corridor.

Laughing again, he nodded. "Sounding more and more like a rebel. That's not such a bad thing though."

"No...?" she asked curiously as they walked. "Some would argue that... but I find it.... somewhat liberating."

"Some would. But those are usually the ones that want the Order to step back to the pre-Clone Wars era. No working with the military, no relationships. Taking children from their families." Xan growled in a display of disgust. "We don't need that. We need more grey Jedi in the Order. Hell, some of the best Jedi in our history were grey." Callista nodded. "Qui-Gon Jinn was, I believe..." she glanced down the corridor, noting the lift just to their left.

"And if you used old definitions to apply to current Jedi. Luke Skywalker was one as was Corran Horn, and a boatload of others."

She pondered that for a few moments and nodded. "I suppose I could compare that to a plant's need for light. There's a balance. Too much and it gets sun-scald. Too little and it becomes weak and dies. The same with the Force, yes?"

Xan smiled. "Beautiful and quick-minded. That's exactly it. Balance, not a denial of emotions or other things. But creating balance in all things."

Callista smiled and blushed slightly. "Sometimes, I find it helps to relate to what I know." She gave him a warm smile as they made their way to the lift. "I..admit, I'm slightly nervous, but I'm looking forward to this also..." she said after a moment. Xan frowned a bit. "Maybe; but you don't quite know what you are walking into." he said. "Tell me if you have heard about Echani martial techniques?"

"I know of them, yes. Though I never trained in them personally. As I said before, my hand to hand training thus far has centered mainly around Teras Kasi..." She fell silent for a moment. "But I'm a fast learner, as you've seen."

Xan nodded. "Ok...but I mean do you know of the Echani way of teaching?"

"Not specifically, no. Why do you ask...?" She shrugged.

"In Echani training, you start with one opponent. And to move one you must beat that opponent utterly before progressing. That means one cannot hold back." That silenced her for a moment as she considered that bit of news. "I've only fought that way a few times before - one of them being Korriban... I think I'll do alright."

"Are you sure?" he asked carefully. "Mandalorians hold nothing back in battle, Cal'ika. It's deemed to be close to the dark side for a reason." She fell silent again. "When I battled the Sith that slew my Master, I was very close to being consumed by my grief. But I knew that if I didn't kill him, he would not rest until I was slain. I knew that the Force still had plans for me after that day... Yes there was grief, but I channeled it into doing what I had to..."

Xan nodded. "The essence of the battle mind. We Mandalorians act in a similar fashion. It's not the dark side, but it is aggressive in nature. Kill or be killed. Incapacitate then after the battle is over then heal if need be."

"Yeah..." She blanched slightly. "I was a mess after that.... Don't know how I even managed to stay on my feet afterward...." she trailed off slightly as she stepped into the lift and selected their destination. Xan frowned. "Not just yourself, Cal'ika. I mean heal others, the battlefield, the civilians, the planet. Mandalorians understand what battle means but we also understand what battle does. It's not honorable to pack up and walk away without understand and trying to lessen the consequences afterwards."

"I know..." Her voice was quiet. "After Korriban, I tried to heal Ainar's wounds. I...felt responsible for them." Her voice constricted slightly, and she took a breath before releasing it slowly. "I was trying to help him, but he wants nothing to do with me now..."

"Ainar needs to come to his own realizations in his own time," Xan said sighing as they entered the equipment room. "Trying to make him see sense is not your job or responsibility. Don't take it personally." Chewing her lip for a moment, she nodded. "You're right..." She looked up, nodding to the quartermaster. "I'd like a set of sparring gear, size 6, please.." The quartermaster nodded and went to the shelf behind him and after searching for a few moments came back with a pair of sparring gloves and a Echani form-fitting combat suit. "Will this do Callista?" the Twi'lek quartermaster asked.

"Yes, thank you..." she told him with a smile, slightly surprised that he knew her by name. She hadn't been down here all that often.

The Twi'lek nodded and then when back to his other tasks and Xan smiled. "You'll need somewhere to change into that." Smiling, she beckoned him back out of the room. "There's a 'fresher just down the hall from the observation area, I believe....." Xan laughed but his mind was hoping for a different response. "Sounds good, I'm already prepared so I can wait for you in the observation room."

"Unless you had something else in mind...?" she asked, grinning slightly.

"How much time do you think there will be till the trials?" he asked in a nonchalant voice

"Uhm...." She chewed her lip for a moment in thought before answering. "30-45 minutes, at least, I should think...." she shifted the bundle of clothes under her arm. "Did you want to go somewhere....?" Xan grinned for a second but then straightened. "Think that is enough time?" She picked up a faint current, but she didn't acknowledge it just yet. "That's more than I need to change..."

"Well we're close by my quarters, perhaps a glass of something a little stronger should settle your nerves." he said, smirking. She raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to get me... drunk, Xan...?" Her tone was slightly amused. Xan raised an eyebrow. " _Nayc_ (no). I just think that the is a certain time for behot and caf. this isn't one of those times."

Callista chuckled lightly. "I'm not that wound up, am I?" She looked up at him, making sure not to drop anything. "Lead the way then?" Xan chuckled and led the way to his quarters, which wasn't too much of a walk from the equipment room. It was almost as though he wanted a quarters nearby for some reason. He pressed his palm to the control matrix and a second later the door popped open. "After you."

Lofting an eyebrow at him, she obliged. "Thanks..." She offered him a smile as she slipped past him, setting her bundle on the back of the couch as she took a look around. It was a rather neat and tidy apartment save for the breakfast dishes, but as they were in the sink. It was hardly noticeable. "Well, I normally carry Mandalorian drinks here, but I may have some wine if you want or you could be a bit adventurous and try what I'm going to have."

"I like a bit of wine now and again..." she told him, smiling a little. "What else do you have...?" she leaned easily against the couch as she looked around some more, getting a sense of the place.

"Narcoleth, a potent Mandalorian version of whiskey...150 proof, I've got some _tihaar_ , a fruit-based brandy. What I'm going to have." He pulled out a black can with Mando'a and Aurekbesh fonts over it. The Aurekbesh read Copper's Reserve. "This is netra'gal, or in basic black ale." She pondered that a moment. "How about some of that _Tihaar_ , that sounds interesting...."

Xan nodded and pulled a bottle from the chiller and then grabbed an ornate glass from one of the cupboards and poured a measure of the clear spirit into it. Grabbibg a straight pint glass, he cracked his can and poured the can's contents into it. After the beer settled, he grabbed both glasses and headed to the living room wherein he handed Callista the tihaar. "It smells sweet, but it's not as sweet to taste as you may think but still fairly sweet tasting."

With a quiet nod, she raised the glass to her lips and sniffed before taking a cautious sip. It was indeed sweet, but not cloyingly so. It warmed her pleasantly as she felt the alcohol settle in her stomach. Xan took a long, long drink of his _netra'gal_ but even so he knew Callista could tell he was holding himself back from polishing off the entire thing in one. "Ahhhh. Now that's better. Haven't had a proper _netra'gal_ in a few weeks, I was dying for one." She tilted her head at him after taking another slow sip.

"Why so long?" He seemed to be relaxing slightly, and though Callista had only had a few sips, she could feel herself beginning to relax as well. Perhaps it was the alcohol and his presence combined.

"Missions. Fieldwork in my department is not as glamorous as it sounds. days and weeks undercover, with nothing stronger then water to sustain you."

"And no one to talk to either, I suppose... it would get rather ...lonely..." She took another sip of the tihaar, relishing the sensation again.

Xan nodded. "I don't have many friends, on Manda'yaim or within the Order. Mine's a sort of solitary life." he said, sadness creeping into his voice unconsciously. Reaching over, she gently laid her free hand on his arm. "You have me..." she told him quietly with a gently smile before she took yet another sip from her glass. She was starting to feel just slightly buzzed, but at the same time, she could feel some of the tension draining from her shoulders.

Xan sighed, smiling sadly. "Friendship is great and all, but for me...for a Mando, now is the age where we begin to look for something more."

"Xan, do you remember what I said the other day....about the feelings I have for you...?" Xan nodded. "I did, but I don't want to go to fast and burn you. I would hate that." Callista nodded thoughtfully. "I do appreciate that, very much..." she told he quietly as she reached over to take his hand in hers. "And I wasn't kidding when I told you I was serious about this...all of it.."

Xan smiled. "You barely know me, though. How can you be so sure so quickly?"

"I... just know. It's a feeling that I have." She couldn't find any other way to explain it. Xan leaned over to her and kissed her on the lips, tenderly but tentatively. Her response was slow as well....she'd never kissed anyone before. In all her years among the Jedi, she'd never found anyone that seemed to fill that empty spot within her. But Xan did. There was a Xan-shaped void in her soul, and now it was slowly fading. It was strange how the Force worked sometimes.

"I'm happy I ran into you on Rendili. Now I feel more complete." Xan said as they broke the kiss off Callista smiled slowly. Her reply was somewhat breathless. "The Force works in a strange way sometimes..." Xan caressed her face with his hands. "I've learned a while ago, not to fight the Force. It's fighting destiny, and now i know what mine entails."

A faint blush touched her cheeks. "I never dreamed I would find someone...In all my years, I've always been solitary." She gently seized his fingers and kissed them. "But now....I feel like I've found most of the missing pieces. The Mando'ade culture is the rest. I feel..."

"Whole?" Xan ventured. It was surprising but now he felt her thoughts clearly, and he knew his own were as open to her.

"Yes...." was her quiet reply as she reached for his presence in the Force. "I want to do this, Xan... I don't feel I can back out now. Nor would I want to." She leaned forward to kiss him tenderly. The kiss was more than just a normal kiss, it was a melding of the minds, of the souls, of their hearts. And when the kiss broke off, Xan held her close. "I have a question to ask you, and I think you know what it is."

Callista's breath caught for a moment in her chest as she leaned into his chest. After a beat or two, she looked up at him. "And what would that be...?" she asked with a knowing, mischievous smile. "Will you marry me?" Xan smiled. "And not _Jetiise_ (Jedi, plural) rites either." She felt as if time had frozen. Marriage. She never would have even thought. She squeezed his hand, looking into his eyes as she nodded. " _Elek_ (yes), I will..." Xan grinned wildly and hugged her close. "Looks like we'll need to get you into some _beskar'gam_ sooner than anticipated." His excitement was infectious, and she snuggled into his chest. "I still want to go through the trials though..."

"You will, I'm serious on that much. And I know you are as well," he said as he buried his face in her hair as they stayed held close to each other. "But we kind of need you in _beskar'gam_ for the marriage rites." Swallowing, she clung to his hand. He still smelled faintly of starship fuel. "Where are we going to find some? We're quite a ways from Mandalore..."

"I have _beskar_ plating stored on the _Par'jila_. It will take a few days to fit the plates, and it'll be... _difficult_ finding a foundry away from prying eyes," he said.

Callista chewed her lip for a moment. "Maybe I could talk to the General....she might know where we could find one..."

Xan chuckled. "Just don't tell her what we are up to. _Beskar'gam_ making is a part of _Mando_ culture we don't share with others."

She smirked slightly. "I'll try. But she knows me well. I was her Padawan for several years. But she also knows when not to pry..."

"I'd hope so." Xan said laughing. "No offense, but this is a highly personal thing."

A soft chuckle escaped her throat. "The General does have tact, you know.... I noticed that no one's brought up our relationship yet..." Grinning, she leaned in to kiss him once more.

Xan answered after they broke the kiss off again. "I think it's a combination of factors. The Force for one. And the other..." he paused. "Is the fact, people still know not to mess with a Mando on anything."

Callista collapsed against him in a fit of giggles. "There is that...." She just leaned against him for a moment. "It feels... so ...right."

Xan nodded "I know..." Then he took a glance at his chrono and swore "Frak, We'd better get going. Ter-lon's trials!"

"Spast!" She leaned over to kiss him quickly before she grabbed her clothes and bolted to the 'fresher to change. Three minutes later, she emerged with her tunic and pants draped over her arm, wearing the sparring gear under her robe. "Ready as I'll ever be, I guess.." she said a little breathlessly.

Xan nodded and then with a wink. "I hope you got good Force speed, we'll need it."

"How much time do we have....?"

"Three minutes," he said as he opened the door. "Think you can keep up?" And with that he took off, tapping into the force to boost his speed. Callista shook her head, smirking slightly as she took off half a second after him. Within moments, she drew even with Xan, tossing him a smile. "Well, at least we'll make an entrance...." she gasped, grinning as they reached the 'lift at the end of the hall.

"I'm less interested in entrances then keeping the Rogue from yapping about being late." Xan said chuckling as soon as they got into the lift.

She tossed him a sideways look. "Do you really think he would?"

Xan frowned. "Corellians and Mandalorians kind of have this thing. In the right circumstances, it's a playful competition thing. In the wrong circumstances, it can be deadly."

She smiled. "I think Myk would understand if we were a little late, but knowing him, he'd give you a hard time about it..."

Xan smiled " _Elek_...and no offense. I like Myk, but I don't want him having one over me."

She quirked an eyebrow. "What do you mean? The General... she took me in and trained me... in spite of her grief.."

Xan laughed. " _Nayc_ (no), _Cal'ika_. It's not bad...it's that competition thing." She just shook her head and grinned. "I guess we'll see what happens when we get there then.." Xan smirked and as the lift doors opened was ready to take off again when Callista boiled out of the lift first, nearly knocking him off balance. It took a few seconds before he caught up. "Not bad, you're getting the hang of things already." Tossing a grin over her shoulder at him, she just shrugged and skidded around the corner, coming to a stop just short of the entrance to the observation deck. "You certainly make things interesting, Xan."

"I do my best. Life gets boring when you know what to expect." Xan said as he skidded to a halt beside her. She leaned against him for a moment, trying to slow her breathing before they stepped through the doors. Her fingers found his. "Reminds me of my Trials.... but mine were rather...unorthodox.." As they stepped into the room, Xan quietly added, "So were mine, in fact, this is the first time I've been present for a Trial in front of the Council on Coruscant."

"You'll have to tell me about them sometime...That is, if you want to.." was her soft response as she adjusted her robes. Xan nodded. "We have no secrets now. We share our lives in full. But now we need to focus on Ter-lon."


	11. Chapter 11

"And?" Andrea asked as they walked away from the Chamber.

"I didn't push the limit," Steffan said as he pulled the cloak of his robes back on. "I went right to it, but I didn't push it. Maybe I should have for this one. Next time, I'll know." He looked over and saw Andrea grinning at him. "What?"

"I haven't seen you this...excited about something since we rebuilt Blue Talon," she said, letting a laugh out. "I think mom would agree with me on that."

"She probably would," he said, smiling as he thought about it. "Come on, we have a series of trials to get ready for."

* * *

Unbeknownst to all of the Jedi present, there was a figure outside of the Jedi Temple. He had witnessed the sparring match between the two masters and, like Andrea and the students, had a holocam with him. It couldn't zoom in as close as he would have liked, but it picked up enough for him to send on.....

"Very interesting," Bane said as he looked over the recorded images. He could pick Steffan Karrde's lightsaber color out, but the new one had to belong to the stranger.

"His moves are as fast as Karrde's," Amrond said as he and I'tka also watched the spar.

"To see Karrde lose, even to another Jedi is.....perfect," I'tka said with an evil grin. Taking on Steffan was something akin to a dream for him. He was looking forward to it.

"Have our people test him further," Bane said to Amrond, turning off the recording.

"You understand, my lord, that it is a suicide mission?" Amrond asked him.

Bane only nodded. Amrond was the more cautious of his warriors, and rightly so. This stranger was not a factor to take lightly. "Send the order, Amrond. If they die, they die. If they kill him, then he wasn't as great an obstruction as we thought."

"By your command."

* * *

Ainar ducked into the Temple's back entrance, ignoring the security droids as he hugged his side, covering up the bloody abdomen underneath his cloak. He glanced up at the security cameras and continued onwards, speeding down the hallway until he reached the service lift and collapsed against the back of the car. _How the hell could this happen?_

He replayed the events in his head as the lift zoomed upwards.... _.there was an ambush, not directed at him but he was too focused on the three culprits that he didn't think to survey the upper levels. As soon as he disarmed the three opponents his danger sense basically screamed at him, he raised his blade at the sky just as a missile raced towards him, with a flicker of his wrist the projectile changed course at the last minute and slammed into the trash bins a few meters away....raining shrapnel over their heads...a piece of metal struck his abdomen, digging into his flesh but thankfully not severing any arteries or damaging his internal organs..._

 _His ears rang as the concussion still vibrated through his bones, he opened his eyes and dug his way out of the shrapnel and rotten food, his hand still clutching his lightsaber, the beam emitter shattered, sparks shooting from the damaged weapon. He pulled himself to his feet and almost dropped back down as the pain almost overwhelmed him, he looked down at the piece of metal sticking out of him....blood dripping down his legs_.

He tried to concentrate his midichlorians to gauge the damage, but he was not a healer, never had been.....but it felt alright, so he bit down hard and grabbed the object tightly and pulled until it was clear, the pain dropped him to his knees and the scream echoed throughout the alley, sending the lone survivor running scared. Ainar tried to get to his feet to stop him, but his legs refused to move....it took him almost 20 minutes to get back to a lift to get him towards the upper limit and towards his speeder...

He almost fell out of the lift as it reached the medical center, and within moments a medical droid hovered towards him and grabbed his arm.

"Just close the wound and get me a bacta patch!"

"Master Jedi, you are suffering from a deep abdominal wound...I need to admit you and call a healer...please sit down and we will start cleaning the wound.."

He grabbed the droids metallic neck and pulled with the assistance of the Force, "Close it.....patch it....NOW"

* * *

**Cataan**

"This planet is so pretty," Kara said as she and Dilan were walking down the woodland path from Edmonton to the Karrde's home. Dilan had lost count of how many times they had walked so many paths around his home. They talked back and forth as they walked, both sharing as they walked. "You had it so well here."

"It hasn't been all that fun and grand," Dilan told her as they walked. "My training took a lot of time...a serious commitment."

"A whole lot?" she asked.

"Well....I had some time before I started." he said, smiling. "I still had some healing to do after the attack on Tal."

"I'm sorry. I can't imagine what that must have been like."

"The Karrdes really helped me out there," he said as they kept on. "Made me one of them....helped me remember and honor their memory. Andrea was the one that first helped me notice that I had the ability to touch the Force. Went all downhill from there."

"Wouldn't you say 'uphill'?" she said with a smile. It was a warm one that Dilan was beginning to believe that she didn't show much....maybe just for him.

"I guess I would," he answered with a grin of his own. He could feel it in the Force, something that was right by their being here together....

.....and then his danger sense started to flare.

"Get down!" he said, his hand reaching for his lightsaber. Kara got behind him as he spun around, his blue blade coming alive just a crimson red one crashed into it. The force of it pushed him back some and he directed Kara into the underbrush as he spun to block the next strike from his attacker. The speed was fast that he could see the hooded face clearly. He let his instincts, training, and the Force guide his moves. It there was one thing Master Karrde and his teachers at the Academy, it was to continually practice his lightsaber form...and he found a preference in the third form.

And at the moment he was fully immersed in it as he continually parried his attacker's blows. _I can't keep this up_ , he thought as he kept blocking. _To defeat him, I'd have to step it up. And I don't want to finish this in front of her._

He spun as he blocked a lunge and flipped over his attacker's back. As soon as his feet hit the ground, he summoned a Force hammer and sent the stranger flying into one of the trees. The impact knocked his hood back over his head and Dilan finally got a look at the tattooed face.

"Falk?" he asked as he looked in disbelief at his attacker.....who had been his closest friend. "What are...."

With such speed, Falk threw a smoke pellet in front of him, creating enough of a cloud that blocked Dilan's vision. Fearing a counter, Dilan called a breeze in to clear it out....but Falk was gone.

_What just happened?_

"Dilan?" Kara asked as she stepped out from the brush. She saw him standing there, could still tell the tension in him as he still had his lightsaber ignited.

"Are you alright?" he asked as he finally shut it down and put it back on his belt.

"Are you?" she asked as she walked up to him, feeling his arms around her...and still feeling the tension there. "Are you?"

"No," he said as he looked to where his friend had stood. "Come on, we've got to get to the house. Father needs to be told."

* * *

**Coruscant**

"Ter-lon Dinn," Steffan Karrde said as Ter-lon stood in the center of the Council Chamber. Myk and Arie were standing next to Steffan's chair as Callista and Xan stayed near the windows of the Chamber. "You showed great improvisation in your test of skill by Master Myk Ron. You've shown good resolve and determination in your other tests. I myself have seen you overcome in the Cave on Dagobah."

"This is not an ending to your learning," Chris-tien Jinn said as she leaned forward in her seat. "It is a new beginning, just as it was for all of us here."

"I understand," Ter-lon said as he looked to the council members, _the elders_ , as he thought of them.

"There is no rule book for these tests of yourself," Steffan admitted to him, as well as any of the others that may not have heard this from him. "It is these ordeals and many others that you will face in your life that test, shape, and define who you are as a Jedi. It involves making such life and death decisions like you faced in the cave. The words I'll impart to you," he said as he stood up and walked to the padawan. "Is that when those decisions come, you listen to the Force here."

He laid his finger to Ter-lon's temple...then moved it down to the center of his chest. "And here. When you have understanding of yourself, anything can be accomplished. Are you prepared for that challenge?"

Steffan had to hold a smile back as Ter-lon looked him straight in the eye as the youth nodded. "I am, Master."

"Councilors," he said, calling the others to step forward and encircle. "Ter-lon Dinn, son of Kevin Dinn, it is the determination and blessing of this Council that you are granted the title of Jedi Knight."

"Thank you," Ter-lon began to say as Andrea entered the Chamber. It was the look in her eyes that told her father that something was wrong. She walked forward and whispered something to him. The others didn't hear it, but Arie could tell that his mood changed completely from the news.

"Councilors, Ter-lon, can you clear the center?" Steffan asked as he walked to his chair. The other council members went to their chairs as Ter-lon went to stand with his grandparents.

"What is it, brother?" Arie asked Steffan as he got to his seat.

"Not good," he answered as he tapped a button on his chair. "Relay the transmission from Cataan to the Council Chamber."

Dilan's image appeared a moment later.

"What happened?" Steffan asked as he remained standing.

"Attacked on the northern path from Edmonton," Dilan told him. "Complete surprise and aggressive."

"Sith?"

"I believe so, from the way his face was tattooed," Dilan answered, drawing some hushed whispers from the others. "Father....it was Falk."

Steffan and Chris-tien shared a look. _How did they turn and retrain him, he has not been missing that long._

"Everyone else is safe," Dilan said, knowing that would be Steffan's next question. "He disappeared as soon as I recognized him."

"Stay home, and keep an eye out," Steffan said, cutting the transmission. The sudden tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a vibroblade.

"We are adjourned," he said softly, members of the council parting. Arie hanging back a little as the rest of her group were leaving as well.

"Arie, I'll meet you with you to celebrate later," Steffan said. "Chris-tien, let us talk and see what we missed here."

* * *

**Jedi Council chambers, Coruscant**

The trials were interesting to watch but unfortunately, that was the farthest thing from his mind at the moment. After Steffan played the holo of the Sith attack on his own son, Xan had been carefully controlling his emotions. And the mention of a Falk, had him wondering. After most of the Council had left and it was just the gathered relations of Ter-lon remaining, Xan spoke up, "Ok, somebody care to clue me in here? Who is Falk and why Cataan?"

Chris-Tien raised an eyebrow at Steffan before the Cataani answered. "Falk was a student of mine... he's been missing... but not for very long, as Dilan said." He rubbed the back of his neck and smiled slightly. "Master Chris-Tien, this is Knight Callista Gseran, and Master Xan Qenadius. He works with Jedi Intelligence.." The other woman nodded. "A pleasure, both of you. I wish it were under better circumstances..."

Xan nodded "Likewise Master Chris-Tien." He looked at Steffan afterwords though and frowned. "A former student though. This is starting to get frightening." He shook his head. "But I think we'd better put all our cards on the table here." Speaking like a typical Mando, "No one here has a skifter I should think." He paused looking at the others. "So out with it, _vod_. What are we missing here?"

“Falk was not just a student of mine,” Steffan said as he gestured for everyone to sit, taking his council seat himself while Chris-tien sat in hers next to him. “I took special attention to him for some time because of his brother, a good friend of mine from when I myself was first a student at the Jedi Academy. Callista, I have told you of him before when I first started training you in the lightsaber….Welt.”

Callista was surprised by the name. When Master Karrde had first told her of Welt, he had shown her one of the lightsabers that Welt had used on their last duel on Dagobah. “I didn’t know he had family,” she said as she nodded at the memory.

“I’m afraid I still don’t fully understand, Master,” Xan said, determined.

“Welt left the Academy after he went through his Trial of Courage,” Steffan started to tell them. “At the cave on Dagobah. I never learned what happened, but he attacked me when he left. Several years later, before mine and Jade’s wedding, he resurfaced….as a Sith apprentice.”

“A Sith,” Xan observed. “Too much to be a coincidence, Master Karrde.”

“Aye, indeed,” the Cataani said to him. “I had to duel and defeat him not just once, but twice. A medical scientist decided to try to be a deity and see about using a specially modified spaarti cylinder in an attempt to bring back the dead. The madman chose to try it by bringing Welt back from the dead. I had to face him again on Dagobah.”

“We told Falk about what had happened to Welt,” Chris-tien chimed in. “He had taken the news well, we thought, and passed his trials to become a Jedi Knight. His was to aide one of our watchmen when he disappeared several weeks ago.”

“And you think Bane would use this to turn his brother?” Callista asked him.

“I can only guess at Bane’s motives, but I will venture a theory,” Steffan began to tell them in confidence. “Bane has had what seems to be a personal deal with me. He must have known that I took Falk under my wing after I faced Welt the first time. I cannot discount the idea that this is another personal message to me.”

Xan shook his head with this new information. But before he could say more, Steffan raised his hand. “I know there are more questions,” he told them. “But Master Jinn and I need to confer, please.”

* * *

Once they'd finished their conference with Master Chris-Tien and Steffan, Xan and Callista slipped out of the Council chambers. It was late into the afternoon and the halls were somewhat deserted. As they made their way down the hall, Callista let out a breath. "I knew about Welt, but not Falk... that's news to me." she frowned slightly. "These are indeed troubling times."

Xan frowned, "All the more reason to get you trained and quickly. Two _Mando'ade Jetii_ will be better able to fight off this threat then just one." She considered that. " _Elek_..." was her quiet reply as she steered them towards an empty training room, flipping the indicator to occupied as she passed. "Where did you want to start?" Xan grinned when Callista unconsciously used Mando'a to respond. "That depends on where you feel most comfortable working hand to hand. What room would best suit you?"

She smiled. "This one's fine. I use it a lot when I train with Master Karrde." As she spoke, she shrugged out of her robe and laid it aside before she began running through a few stretches to warm up her muscles. Xan nodded and slipped off his armor, revealing an athletic skin suit when he finally got his cover-all off. "Right, now the key is to not hold back at all. i will, in order that you can better adapt to the movements. but once you get the hang of it, all bets are off."

Callista swallowed and let out a breath as she pulled on her grappling gloves and rolled her neck and shoulders a few times. She had to admit, it had been quite some time since she'd gone hand to hand, and she wondered how she'd fare against him, even when he was holding back. After a moment, she settled herself into a ready stance. Xan stretched like a sand panther and settled into a relaxed stance. Then they began to circle each looking for openings. Xan saw plenty but didn't take them yet. "Come on _Cal'ika_ we can dance; or you can show me what you do know so I can correct it." Callista smirked slightly at his words. In the next instant, she crossed the floor in two stepped her rigid left-hand slicing towards his neck as she moved around him.

Xan blocked the knife hand strike with a routine inside block and moved counter to her rotation. He didn't smile though, carefully measuring her responses. Callista blinked, ducking to avoid his handtrap as she kicked him in the back of the knee, before dancing out of range to ready herself. Xan frowned not that the blow but the fact she moved away. "What are you doing?"

Callista shook her head, moving back in with a quick two punch combination followed by a knee to the groin, batting his hands out of the way as she did so. Xan fell to his knees but when she batted his hands away, he rolled at her legs bowling her over. "Good but not quite." Callista grunted, landing hard on her back before she rolled to her knees and straddled Xan, moving in to apply a choke.

Xan blinked and scrambled to knock her hands away but was unsuccessful. Something clicked suddenly, he felt it. Feeling him tense slightly, Callista applied a little bit more pressure before she backed off. Then she snagged his right leg, pressing down on the inside of the knee with her own as she forced it to the tile floor. Xan growled as she backed off of the choke, only to find that before he could regain his feet she had his knee trapped. He began fending off body blows and jabs to the head, but he couldn't get his leg free.

Slowly, Callista applied more pressure to his right knee, the nerve cluster there was quire sensitive. As she saw the look of pain on his face, she switched tactics, pushing his left leg down to mount again as she delivered several swift blows to his stomach with her elbows.

" _Cetar_! I give!" he said groaning. despite his pain, he was impressed, something took over in Callista's mind and it was instinctual, as though it just needed the right push. With a curt nod, she released her hold and stood up. "Growing up around Coronet was rather rough and tumble.." Xan got up slowly and shook out his right leg. "Rough and tumble. And exactly how a Mando fights. I didn't need to tell you a thing...." he said half in amazement. She blushed slightly. "It's been...years since I've had to use it. In all honesty, I kinda pushed it to the back of my mind."

"Dangerous that, Mandos keep on top of every skill they learn. That way it's easier to anticipate what your enemy is trying to do and counter it." She blushed again and stood, rocking back on her heels. "I know that now... As much as I try to hide it, it's always there..." Xan nodded and grinned. "I don't think I have anything to teach you in hand to hand. But how good are you with other weapons?"

She frowned. "Not so good with a blaster, but I do ok with knives...."

"Well then, now I know what we work on next." he said in a serious tone, retrieving two blasters from the holsters at his belt. For the next several hours he drilled her on the basics. It was late into the night when they finally finished. Her mind was spinning, but she did feel a lot more confident and sure of herself and her ability to fight.

Xan yawned just after the last session of range practice was over, and he smiled when Callista, confident more so then ever spun the dual blaster pistols she had in each hand after she finished the last target and then placed them back into their holsters. "I think you're ready for _beskar'gam._ " he said grinning.

Already...?" she asked in surprise as she brushed her hair from her face, tucking the stray strands into her braid as she picked up her cloak. "You're a natural, Cal'ika. All I had to do was get you to put aside that lack of confidence you had and just focus and you did it. I didn't need to tell you or hold your hand either."

She grinned and crossed the floor in two steps before she leaned up to kiss him softly. "I just needed a good motivator..." she told him.

Xan kissed her back and smiled. "Glad to be of service." he winked at her after the kiss. "So first thing tomorrow, we get to work on your brand new _beskar'gam._ "

She grinned and elbowed him lightly in the ribs before she rested her head on his shoulder. "It's been quite a day....."

Xan sighed. "That it has....and by tomorrow’s end it should be complete. that is your journey down this road. Still need to pick up more of the words, but you've been using _Mando'a_ unconsciously all day. So your armor and one other thing remain."

"The.... _riduurok_...." she breathed, her eyes widening as she looked up at him. "Oh, Xan...." She trailed off and buried her face in his shoulder, just taking in his scent as she tried to comprehend the day's events.

"I've talked to the chamber master already, while you were working on the flamethrower and it's been arranged and I got the confirmation a minute ago. We've been reassigned quarters in the families section, Master level. And the staff has already set our things up in the quarters."

"But I just moved not to long ago..." she protested quietly. But she was smiling as she gathered the rest of her things and started towards the door and the corridor beyond, taking Xan's hand in hers.

"You may like it _cyar'ika_. so give it a chance...besides it's good for when we are here."

"Alright..." she relented, leaning up to kiss his cheek softly before the door opened, allowing them access to the corridor beyond. As they made their way to the lift, Callista held his hand in hers.

"I've got a feeling we'll be on the move soon anyway." Xan said holding her hand but frowning. It was nagging at him since the trials ended.

Nodding, Callista chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully for a moment. "Master Karrde's been saying something similar or a while now." She stepped into the lift and shook her head. "But for now, let us rest and think of happier things..."

Xan nodded and as they walked into the new quarters, Xan smiled mischievously. "Let's try to get some sleep, but I'm not guaranteeing we will."

Laughing softly, she squeezed his hand. "All I want right now is to be near you...." She smirked slightly. "Some might think that's being selfish, but I see it as taking care of yourself...."

"I agree wholeheartedly _cyar'ika_." he leaned in and kissed her softly again "And that's what we'll do....together."

* * *

As the council members slowly made their way through the ornate double doors of the high council chambers, Myk-Ron Dinn slipped silently to his wife’s side. Gently, he took her hand in his as they too made their way out. The suns of Coruscant were just beginning to set, and the council chambers and hallways were cast in a lush amber glow.

"They really didn’t scrimp when they re-built this place," The Rogue commented. "If I hadn’t actually seen the original temple, I’d swear this was it."

"It was Luke’s idea," Arie smiled at the memory. "Farmboy was so hooked on the past, on learning what he’d missed. Toward the end, I think he spent more time in the library than the librarians."

"Life like his," Myk sighed. "Suppose he deserved it."

"Yeah – damn!" Arie slapped at the datapad buzzing in her pocket. She glanced at the device and cast an apologetic look at her husband. "I’m sorry, Myk-Ron..."

"Duty calls," Myk finished. "Don’t worry about it, Princess. I wanted to stretch my legs a bit anyway."

Arie arched an eyebrow at the Rogue. "Don’t get into trouble, Rogue," She said. "I’m not losing you again. And, I believe command wants to see you sometime soon. The data crunchers are going ballistic over the procedural nightmare of bringing you back from the dead."

"I’ll put it on my 'to do’ list," The Rogue smirked. "And, I’ll be fine. I’ll see you at home."

"You’d better," Arie said, arms crossed as she entered the turbolift. "I love you."

"Love you too, Babe," Myk said as the lift doors closed. With a contented sigh, Myk headed to the east lift. He’d make a quick stop back home to change into something more comfortable, then he’d head out. A lot had changed in his city, he wanted to get his bearings back.

* * *

"Target sighted," The hooded figure whispered. "Southwest promenade, Imperial Palace. Heading south toward lower-level ramps."

 _"Confirmed,"_ the voice over the hidden ear-piece comm sounded distant and tiny. " _Proceed as planned_."

"Affirmative," The hooded figure silently vaulted over the edge of the balcony he’d been perched upon. Any sentient being with even the remotest concern for their own well being would have deemed the maneuver suicidal...but not for a Sith. The cloaked assassin deftly leapt from balcony to balcony, closing in on his target. Around the promenade, more and more hooded figures began doing the same. Not a sound was made, not a soul took notice. They moved with the shadows, mere whispers on the wind whipping through Coruscant’s duracrete canyons.

As the Rogue wandered, so did his mind. Aimlessly, he made his way through the sea of denizent life. He drifted on the current of the Force, allowing his feet and its will to guide him. His mind was far away, and working furiously to solve the problem he could see coming a klick away. Arie was...old. Didn’t make him love her any less, but she had a point. _Yeah, things were okay now, but how were they to pick up where they left off when such a chasm separated their physical selves? What if they wanted to have a child? Could they?_

Truth be told, the answer was blaringly simple. But Myk-Ron had no idea how one would even begin to go about it, or how deeply one would have to draw upon the Force. He didn’t know the consequences. He didn’t know if he was strong enough. There was so much he didn’t know.

He hated not knowing. It drove him to distraction. So it was with little surprise that Myk-Ron Dinn soon found himself in a part of Coruscant he didn’t recognize. As unimaginable as it seemed, the immediate area appeared devoid of life. He was deep, that much he was sure of. The architecture was ancient, and the sky was completely hidden behind a veritable ceiling of taller buildings.

"Lost, are we, Jedi?" The voice carried on the stale wind like a hiss, and Myk turned around to face it.

Blocking the rogue in the duracrete box he’d wandered into were fifteen dark-clad warriors – No, Myk corrected himself. Not warriors, assassins. "Not all who wander are lost," Myk-Ron shrugged.

"Ha!" The cloaked figure in the middle of the black-clad formation stood a good head taller than the rogue, and outweighed him by at least twenty kilos. His face was shrouded in shadow, and his laugh was more of a bark than anything really human. "You have spirit, Jedi. I’ll give you that. But, believe me when I say, you are well and truly...lost." With a gesture of his hand, five of the assassins stepped forward and, in unison, ignited five crimson blades. Silently, they began to fan out around the Rogue.

Myk sighed and un-clipped his lightsaber from his belt. He set his feet about shoulder-width apart in an easy form three stance, and began to fall into the Force. It had been nearly fifty years since he’d last had to fight for his life. The warm-up with Steffan, the duel with the kid...they’d barely stoked the fire burning beneath the Rogue’s skin. As the adrenaline mixed with the chaotic beauty of the Force as it swirled around him, Myk-Ron Dinn smiled. It was not the Jedi way to relish battle, to find joy in deadly combat. Lightning danced within his eyes as he looked up at his outspoken foe. "I am no Jedi," Myk said, and the air grew suddenly still in the depths of Coruscant’s warrens.

The five assassins hesitated for the briefest of moments, and paid with their lives. In a flash of silver light, Myk-Ron Dinn was among them, beside them, behind them. Five seconds passed, and five Sith died, their bodies falling in slow-motion to the cold duracrete. The remaining ten Sith immediately fanned out around the Rogue, vying for flanking positions and trying to present this hostile target with as many offensive fronts as possible. Myk-Ron scanned the group as they ignited blades of their own. Each beam of light was unique to the individual wielding it. Behind the Rogue, in a rough semicircle, were Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, and Red. All of them with a single saber, and all in classic form three guards. In front stood a more varied group. One Sith wielded two deep red lightsabers, another held two blues with one blade in a reverse grip. The three remaining carried lightstaffs; purple, green, and yellow.

Myk took it all in, and allowed the Force to guide his feet and hands into an unnatural stance. His feet splayed a bit wider apart, he released his left hand from the grip of his lightsaber and presented the blade horizontal in front of him in his right. His left hand moved behind for balance as his body lowered into a kind of crouch. There was no rhyme or reason to this sudden change of form, the Rogue simply felt it was right. He’d experienced something akin to what he was feeling now before...on the bridge of that Vong warship. He surrendered more and more of himself to the Force, allowing it to flow through him as he melded with the utter chaos of it.

He sensed the Sith like rocks in the river of the Force; disrupting the stream, creating eddies and waves. They were easily identifiable, and their movements created huge ripples within the Rogue’s awareness. He had already blocked five attacks before the Sith had even thrown them. Myk-Ron caught Orange in a high block and struck with his left hand at the Sith’s throat. That assassin's hands went limp as his eyes went wide, and he struggled in vain to find his breath through a crushed windpipe. Blocking low with his own blade, Myk whipped the newly acquired orange through the necks of Blue and Green.

Their bodies had not yet hit the ground when Myk released the orange blade and, with the slightest nudge from the Force, embedded it to the hilt in Yellow’s chest. He batted Red’s blade into the dual-weilding Blue, and lanced his own silver blade through Red’s right eye. The block following sheared the top of the dead assassin's head as Myk whipped his lightsaber around to block a low attack from the Purple lightstaff. Myk-Ron’s right foot leapt out in a Force-full round-house kick to Purple’s left temple. The sickening crack of his neck snapping barely registered above the hum and clash of lightsabers. Mid-kick, Myk swept his silver blade behind him, parrying Blue’s attack. As Purple tumbled to the ground, Myk continued his spin with a leap over the heads of Green and Yellow. Blue was on him as his feet found duracrete, throwing shot after shot in a wall of blue energy. Myk parried each blow as he backpedaled to the wall behind him. Before his back touched duracrete, the Rogue side-slipped Blue’s barrage and used the Force to slam the off-balance Sith face-first into the wall. The old duracrete cracked with the impact, but did not give nearly as much as the Sith’s skull. The Rogue had some distance between himself and the three remaining Sith. He took a breath to assess the situation.

The one with the green lightstaff radiated anger like a tidal wave in the Force. He was the one who’d spoken before, the leader. The yellow lightstaff was calmer, more focused, more deadly. The Sith with the dual red blades was more afraid than angry, and he used the fear to fuel his adrenaline and focus.

"What _are_ you?" Green challenged.

Lightning cracked where Myk-Ron had been standing, and in the space between heartbeats he appeared behind Red. A smoking line formed across the Sith’s chest, and a startled expression was etched on his face for eternity. His blades died as his body crumpled behind the Rogue.

Green charged, his question forgotten in the rage that consumed him. He twirled his staff above his head before bringing one end crashing down toward Myk’s exposed right shoulder. Myk-Ron slipped to the left and let Green’s own momentum carry him beyond the Rogue. His eyes on the Yellow-bladed Sith, Myk whipped his lightsaber into a reverse grip and stabbed behind him and through Green’s spine. A loud thud echoed in the warren as Green’s weight came crashing down to the cold duracrete.

"You don’t have to die," Myk-Ron warned as he brought his blade forward.

Yellow gazed coolly across the expanse of slain Sith at the Rogue. "We’ll have our dance, you and I," he said as he walked to the edge of the platform on which they stood. "Until then..." And he stepped over, falling into the blackness of Coruscant’s underbelly.

Keyed as he was to the Force, Myk-Ron sensed the Sith’s slow descent onto a waiting speeder. He could feel his enemy’s mild disdain at having been bested, but more Myk-Ron sensed anticipation from his foe as the craft sailed away into the night. He would be back, he would be stronger, and he was eager for the challenge. Myk-Ron shook his head and gradually pulled himself to the surface, not quite leaving the river of the Force entirely but moving to calmer waters. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and he gave himself a once-over. There were no serious injuries. His shirt was a loss, though. Dozens of near-misses and light grazes had left the shirt cut in places, and stained in others with blood – some of it was his.

Arie wouldn’t be too happy when she found that he had been in a fight, but it wasn’t his fault this time. And, the Rogue smiled to himself, remembering the sensations he felt through the Force during the fight, he had found his answer. In hindsight, it was painfully obvious but the Rogue shrugged it off. Nothing could spoil the good mood he found himself in as he made his way back up into the light and noise of Coruscant’s more populated levels. He had his answer. Now, he just needed to find a way to get Arie alone, completely alone, for more than a couple hours.

With a bounce in his step, Myk-Ron made his way back home. He shed his torn clothing and hopped into the ‚fresher. Arie was still at the office, by the looks of things. Finishing with his shower, the Rogue found a fresh set of clothes and tossed the ruined set into the garbage smasher. Arie would know, there was no hiding that, but there was no sense in keeping the bloody mess. Myk fetched a drink from the kitchen and settled down on the sofa in the living room. He kicked his feet up on the low table, and smiled. _Yup_ , the Rogue thought to himself. _Good day._


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a wedding occurs, but not in the way you'd think....

**The next Morning...**

"Have you any idea what this is about?" she asked as they left the lift.

"None," Steffan said as they went down the hall. "But I have a good idea. Master Jerris told me about a slight change in the housing here. Since we have only let a small group of hand-picked Jedi back on Coruscant, it didn't take me long to guess."

Arie stopped and looked at him for a moment. "Shared quarters?"

"Lets let them tell us, shall we?" Steffan said with a grin as he reached for the door chime. In truth, he was wanting to know what this was about more than Arie. They had both taken Callista under their wing, but it was Steffan's family...especially Andrea...that really made her more like family. "Okay," she said as they waited at the door.

The sun streamed through the windows of the apartment, warming the room as Callista padded barefoot into the kitchen to brew herself some _behot_. She'd commed Steffan and Arie earlier that morning. Just as the _behot_ began brewing, the door chime signaled that someone was at the door. With a smile, she crossed the cool tile, and keyed the door open. "Master Karrde, Master Dinn! Please.. come in.." she greeted them with a smile. "Can I get you some caf?"

"I've already had tea and breakfast this morning," Steffan told her. "Arie?"

"I'll take a cup," she said as she looked around the quarters. Steffan's response didn't surprise Callista, she always had known him as an early riser from the time she had spent on Cataan. Like Arie, he also was looking around, senses opened. With a nod, Callista padded back into the kitchen and poured two cups from the pot on the stove, and herself a cup of _behot_. Balancing them carefully, she came back and passed Arie hers just as she spotted Xan coming into the room.

Xan took extra time this morning in donning his _beskar'gam_ , primarily to calm his nerves. When Callista stirred awake, he had woken to but just didn't want to get out of bed. Specially feeling her anticipation in contacting the General and Master Karrde. So he dallied in the bedroom longer then he should have getting ready. _'Why do I feel like I'm going through the_ Muun'bajir _again?'_ he asked himself and then suppressed his anxiousness. This was going to be interesting. He finished the last of the clips, took 2 deep breaths and then wandered into the common room. "Master Karrde, General, good to see you," he said cheerfully, before leaning down to kiss Callista on the cheek. "Caf ready?"

"Here..." Callista passed him the second steaming cup as he asked, kissing him softly. She caught Steffan's look and grinned.

Steffan almost took that as his cue and took a seat, Arie following right behind him. "I have a fair guess as to why Arie and I were called here," he started to say, trying to hold back a smile as he did so.

"I think I do too, brother," Arie added in, looking at the two of them and didn't hold back her smile. "Callista?"

Callista cheeks pinked slightly, but she was glowing and positively bursting. She was certain they could sense it. Setting her _behot_ down, she took Xan's hand in her and squeezed it gently before she looked back to Arie and Steffan. "Xan's asked me to marry him..." she finally said, feeling as if the words just tumbled forth. She took a couple slow breaths to calm her nerves and could feel Arie sending her waves of calm in the Force.

"I thought I had taught her to calm better," Arie said to relieve the anxiety as she looked at Steffan. "Didn't you too?"

"Oh I most definitely did," he said straight-faced as he leaned back in the chair. "I think she faced the Sith on Korriban better than she is the two of us. You'd think she thought we were going to jump up with lightsabers humming." He held it for a moment before both he and Arie starting grinner at her. "It's wonderful news," he said. "Definitely something worth celebrating at a dark time like this."

Callista laughed at Steffan's expression, smiling slightly as he joked a little.

Xan chuckled. "To be honest, I was worried. Most _aruetiise_..." he caught himself. "Most non-Mandos don't understand how we can make a decision such as this so quickly. I was expecting a bit of the fifth degree." Callista nodded at Xan's statement, sharing a look with Arie for a moment. The older woman had, in all but name taken Callista as her daughter.

"True, it is a decision that shouldn't be taken lightly," Steffan said, looking at the two of them. "However, it doesn't take much to sense the connection forming between you two. Forming up at a pace, I should say, that would compliment a _Mando's_ decision time. You both have my heartfelt congratulations. Callista, I'm going to have to let you tell Andrea this yourself, though."

Callista smiled at Steffan's remark. "I'll comm her later. She'll be thrilled." Callista smiled again, remembering the weeks, no months she'd spent at the Karrde homestead learning and training from both Master Karrde and his daughter. They spoke for a while longer, until Airie and Steffan stood up, excusing themselves. Before they left, they exchanged hugs with Callista and shook Xan's hand. "You take care of her now, Qenadius." Arie said mock sternly. "You won't like me otherwise..." she told him with a grin and a wink.

Xan smiled and shook Steffan's hand but he grew serious. "I'd die before I'd see harm willingly come to her, _vod_." But then he chuckled. "Besides, the way she's handled the Mando training, I think I'll need to watch my _shebs_ regardless."

Steffan chuckled. "Aye, that's true. She's a feisty one..." He told Xan, winking at Callista. Xan grinned and walked over to Callista and wrapped and arm around her "That she is."

Steffan laughed again and waved as he and Arie walked out the door. "You be sure to let us know when the wedding happens, we'd like to be there..."

"As soon as I get her _beskar'gam_ made and painted, we'll gather everyone in the room of a thousand fountains." Xan said "Most likely tomorrow morning."

Steffan's eyebrows rose, and Callista glanced at Xan, her eyes wide. Then Steffan just shook his head and laughed. "It's true, Mandos don't waste time. I'll see you both tomorrow then..." Arie gave Callista another brief hug and then they were gone.

Xan chuckled. "That went better then I thought it would."

"You're telling me..." Callista said in a rush as she let out the breath she'd been holding.

"Well now, I need to get down to the _Par'jila_ and bring up the _beskar_ pieces to the foundry. You should go see if they've got a flight suit/coverall at the tailor's."

Callista frowned slightly. "The General's given us access to the foundry on the hangar level. It's usually open only to techs and military support personnel..."

" _Mandos_ are technically a mixture of both," he said with a chuckle. Callista just grinned. "I'll meet you down there then. I'll see if I can get at least two coveralls... Will I need different boots as well?"

Xan looked at her boots, and they were standard Jedi affairs. "Yeah, you need thicker leather and more of a sole. I wouldn't worry bout getting darasteel toes though, I can make spats for you."

"Alright..." she mentally made a list, stepping up to him and leaning up on her toes to kiss him deeply before she turned to the door. "I'll be down in a few minutes... _cyar'ika_.." she finished with an impish grin.

"See you there then." He said and kissed her again. She smiled, and ducked out into the hall, making her way down to the quartermaster's office again. Somehow, she had the feeling it would be a common occurrence. Stepping into the small tidy office, she glimpsed the seemingly endless shelves of the storage area through a door behind his desk.

"Need a hand, Callista?" the familiar voice of the quartermaster called out to her. "Please.." she said with a smile as he stepped back into the office. "I need... two flightsuits or coveralls, and two sets of heavyweight boots.."

He nodded "Basic black or another color for the flightsuits?" She shrugged. "Black will do, for now.." She smiled slightly. "I'll be wearing them underneath something anyways, so I don't suppose it matters all that much.."

"I heard Master Karrde and the General mentioning something to that effect when they came back from your new quarters." he went to fetch the flightsuits. "Small, right?"

" _Elek_..." she replied, grinning. "News certainly travels fast around here..." she continued, chuckling lightly. "I get the feeling that not many are surprised, though..."

He returned from the backroom with two basic black fightsuits and two pairs of large length heavy-duty boots. "You two are the talk of the Temple right now actually. Well, the good news part anyway."

She just laughed as she took the boots and draped the flightsuits over her arms. "I guess one can't keep secrets around here for long..." She sighed happily. " _Vor'e._.." and then she laughed. "Seems the language is growing on me as well..."

"It is...looks like I'll need to go to the Archives to brush up a bit so I can understand you two a bit better." He said with a wink.

Callista chuckled and shrugged. "It means 'thanks...'" she offered. "I'd best be on my way though... I'm meeting Xan down in the hangar.."

"All the best Callista." He said to her retreating form, "and don't be a stranger."

"Thanks..." she replied quietly. "I'll be around...." and with that, she ducked out of the office and was gone, making her way quickly to the foundry and to Xan. She found him already inside, and she was greeted with the ringing of hammer against metal as she entered the room.

" _Su'cuy cyar'ika._..caught me doing the rough forming." he said while continuing to hammer. It took him a few more blows then he quenched the metal in a vat of water he had nearby. He then put down his tools and went over to kiss her.

Callista grinned, kicking the door shut with her foot since her hands were full. "Hello yourself..." she mumbled around the kiss, as she relaxed under his touch. There was just something that was calming about being near him.

"I see you got some good gear, _shab_ those flightsuits are stealth X style." Callista grinned. "News gets around apparently. I didn't ask for a certain kind... just black..."

Xan smiled. "I didn't think it would take too long for news to spread here. Always does." He pointed to an empty back room. "Better put on your suit and boots in there, that way I can shape the plates better to you." Smiling slightly, Callista nodded and kissed him again quickly before she ducked through the door. The lights flickered on overhead as she did so. It didn't take her long to change, and she reappeared ten minutes later, tugging at the flightsuit to adjust the fit.

"Good fit. Feel comfortable?" Xan asked in between hammer blows.

" _Elek_. It's a little loose, but not so much it's cumbersome. I'd almost think the quartermaster was holding those aside for me... It fits like it was tailored..."

"Could've been, you do have a Stealth X. Possibly he knew you'd need a flightsuit sooner or later." She grinned and shook her head. "I guess so..." she said softly as she came up behind him and peeked over his shoulder for a moment. She watched Xan carefully work the metal with hammer blows, folding the metal back into the main body. The heating it up again and continuing the process. "This lightens the metal, strengthens the crystals and thus makes _beskar'gam_ light and still able to turn a _jetii'kad_ blade.."

"Is it completely impervious to the blade...?" she asked curiously, watching him work for a moment longer.

Xan shook his head negatively "No, it's not phrik or cortosis. It can be cut through, but it takes some hammering it the same spot." he grinned "That's why the Jedi had such a hard time defeating us."

Callista's mouth quirked slightly. "Anything I can do to help right now...?" She set down her folded clothing on on of the empty workbenches.

"Wanna learn how to do this?"

"Sure, why not...?" she said grinning at him. "You know I like to get my hands dirty, so to speak... Can't have you doing all the work if I'm the one who's going to be wearing the _beskar'gam_..."

Xan grinned. "I'll get you to work on a spat. That way you know what you are doing when it comes to the bigger pieces." He grabbed a bowl full of molten _beskar_ and poured a bit into a rigid former the size of two hands. "This is just the first form...when this cools this is as strong as normal durasteel, and just as brittle." he said to her as she stood beside him to watch. "It should only take a minute or so before we can begin to work it."

She nodded, her forehead creasing slightly. “The spat is the piece that covers the boot, like that...?" she pointed to Xan's boots.

Xan nodded. "This should be enough for both boots." And He noticed the first form had hardened now. "Right" he said grabbing the tongs and picking the piece of _beskar_ up and walking to the furnace. "Time to get started."

A minute or so had passed and then he pulled the piece from the furnace and placed it on the working table. "Take the hammer and beat this sheet back down to the same size after I do this..." and with that he folded the _beskar_ sheet in half. Nodding, she picked up the hammer he'd been using and moved in once he'd folded it, beating the metal with firm strokes, watching it slowly thin out to the same thickness it had been before. Xan smiled and nodded and then took the piece back to the furnace. "We do this 80 times."

Callista gaped. "Eighty..?! Won't that take a while?"

"All day and most of the night. We'll lose a good 40 pounds by the end of this."

"True... We'll be sweating a lot... the temperature in here..." she fanned herself slightly. "The General set us up though. Twi conservators filled with ice water. If we get too sweaty there is a clothes refresher in the room you changed in. And when we get tired each of us can take turns napping on the cot provided."

"And food...?" Callista asked, falling back into her Healer role as she raised an eyebrow. "I don't know about you, but I can't go more than six hours without eating..."

Xan looked at her with a bit of a scowl. "Do you remember the ritual for creating your lightsaber Callista?"

"Yes..." Callista said quietly, looking into the flickering flames of the furnace.

"To Mandos this has the same importance, the first beskar'gam has that same spiritual meaning. No food for us both till this is done."

Chewing her bottom lip for a moment, she nodded. "Alright then...." She took a slow breath, reaching for the Force. An instant later, she felt it flood into her, like a river breaking through a dam. Slowly, she began to channel the energy, until she felt it fill her. She opened her eyes then, feeling more alert.

Xan smiled. "Good, Callista. Good. This piece of armor is to become as important to you as the saber is. Together the saber, the armor, your skills and combined with the power of the Force. You will help change the shape of this galaxy, you and your friends."

She smiled slightly, feeling as if she were a Padawan all over again. In a way she was. Rolling her shoulders for a moment, she pulled the sheet of _beskar_ from the furnace and picked up her hammer again, looking to Xan for instruction.

"Same as last time _cyar'ika_. Here we go now." and with that she folded the iron and he beat it down. and thus they kept taking turns.

So they, little by little began to shape her armor plates. When one grew weary, they rested while the other worked. They pulled heavily on the Force and the Force fed them, sustaining them as they did their labor. It was though the armor itself was becoming as infused with the Force as a Jedi's saber would be. And slowly it began to dawn on Callista. It _was_ one an the same. It was the final step for her, as much of a finding of self as her Trials had been. And when they finished the last hammer blow and the armor had been fitted, it was done.

"Well now _Cal'ika_...what do you think now?" At Xan's question, she sat up, leaning her head on his shoulder for a moment. "I'm... proud of it..." she said after a moment, admiring the smoothly shaped plates that lay on the workbench awaiting paint. Xan smiled. "Now all it needs is painting," he said. "Now your colors can follow the old scheme and have a meaning behind each color or you can just choose a color cause you like it." For a moment, she gazed off into nothingness, just feeling to the current of the Force that ran through her. "Well, what are the colors that _do_ have meanings?"

"Gray - Mourning a Lost Love, Red - Honoring a father, Black - Justice, Gold - Vengeance, Green - Duty, Blue - Reliability and Orange - A Lust for Life."

"Hmm...." Callista mused, pondering them for a moment. "Can colors be combined? Say.. blue and red?"

"Purple has no meaning in the old scheme, but as I said. It doesn't need to follow the old scheme. I know a _dalyc_ with pink armor. so if you want purple, then purple you shall have." he said and smiled.

She smiled slightly. "Purple it is then..... with black trim. I think the combination suits me well. I never knew my birth parents, but Master Faulkner, the General, and Master Karrde's family.." she sucked in a breath as it hit her just how much they had given her.

Xan nodded and handed her the paint gun. "This process _cyar'ika_....is most personal. You paint it yourself. And think of how you got here and where you may go." he kissed her briefly and then when to the other room to grab a bottle of water and to wait till she was finished.

As Xan slipped into the other room, Callista curled her fingers around the paint gun, opening the reservoir to mix the paint before reattaching it to the nozzle. Letting out a breath, she reached for the Force again. _Shab_.... so much had changed in the last handful of years. With fingers that shook slightly, Callista began to paint, the deep color seeming to pull her into its richness as it slowly began to coat the surface of the _beskar_ plates.

It was.... comforting, and yet in a way, it saddened her. Finally, she'd found the man who loved her with his entire being. it was tempered slightly by the knowledge that she would never see her Master again in the flesh. She smiled slightly, her expression slightly sad as she remembered his last words to her, when he'd come to her in a vision following his passing all those years ago. _'I will always be with you, Callista..'_

She squeezed her eyes shut against the memory of that day... the day she'd watched him die. But there was something else there now. _Hope for the future._ Steffan and Arie had given her that. Yeah, she'd had her times of struggle, but Master Karrde had always been there for her, since the first day they'd met. And Arie.... Callista smiled slightly. She was finally thinking of the older woman as something more than just her teacher. She was also a good friend.

Purely by feel, Callista switched out the purple for black, her eyes still closed as she let the Force guide her hands. It seemed like the time was dragging, but finally, she opened her eyes and set down the paint gun. Xan heard the painting had stopped and came out to investigate. what he saw was a brilliantly painted set of armor and Callista half staring at it and half-dreaming. He kissed her. "It's you _Cal'ika_. It's perfect."

Callista jumped slightly when Xan came up and kissed her. "Sorry, was a little zoned out there..." she said by way of apology after they broke apart. "I'm just.....wow.." she breathed.

"It shouldn't take long at all for the paint to dry, then we can put in the gadgets." Nodding, Callista leaned back against the workbench and wiped at her forehead with her sleeve. "I think you'll have to help me with that... it's been a while since I did anything with small-scale electronics..."

"For that, we can take that up to the apartment. I think we're done here."

She smiled slightly, and stretched, twisting to work a kink out of her spine. "What time is it...?"

"0100. " Xan said with a frown.

"Hmm... Well as long as I can sleep a little bit..." she chuckled. "I just hope I don't have rounds... I shouldn't at least." Xan had a look on his face. "No rounds, something about your Padawan covering them tonight?" She raised an eyebrow. "I'll check that... but I think you're right. How did you...?"

"The General told me when I mentioned how long this would take. What YOU didn't mention is that you had a Padawan."

"I uhm..." she flushed. "Sorry. Her name's Althea..." she smiled a little. "Reminds me of myself at that age..." Xan scowled. "I'll have to meet her sometime then. In the meantime, however. Let's get home." Callista flushed again. "I'm sorry, I should have told you..." She slid her hand into his for a moment before she let go to pick up the now-painted _beskar_.

Xan just shrugged. "I think you owe your Padawan a bit more of an apology, nearly forgetting her. We'll have to make amends on that." He shut down the furnace and shut power off to the spare and main rooms before following Callista to the lift. Her face heated in embarrassment, and she looked at the floor for a moment. He was right. She had been careless. Her Padawan deserved better. The ride up to the apartment was mostly silent, and Callista was relieved when they finally arrived. With a groan, she set the _beskar_ plates on the table in the common area, sinking into the nearest chair for a moment.

"We can work on the electronics in the morning, the _riduurok_ in the afternoon and make amends to Althea in the evening. I think we're both wiped." She nodded wordlessly, reaching for his hand as she pulled him down beside her and buried her face in his chest for a moment. "I should have been more conscious of her needs too.." she said quietly.

"Well I figure we'll be on the move again soon, and your Padawan does need field training so..."

" _Elek_..." was her quiet reply as she snuggled into his chest, fighting sleep. It had been a very long day for both of them.

"Come on....let's get to bed." Xan said and picked up Callista in his arms and walked with her to the bedroom. She smiled sleepily, gazing up at him for a moment. "We could both use it after today I think. And when we get up... we need to eat...." she trailed off, fighting a yawn.

"Indeed." He said as he sat her on the bed and began to strip off his armor and flightsuit. and climbed into bed in his breeches. Fighting a yawn, Callista pulled off her flightsuit, draping over the nearest chair, and pulling on a loose top and some sleep pants before she slid between the blankets and lay her head on his chest. He could hardly keep his eyes open but he gathered her close to him before he dropped off to sleep.

* * *

It took the second door chime to stir Steffan from the book that he was reading in his quarters when he finally looked up at the chrono on the wall. It was still early in the morning. "Come," he said as he set it down, turning to the door as Callista walked into the living area. "Good morning....it looks like you could use some more sleep, Callista. Long night?"

" _Elek_....." was her tired response. "I only slept for a couple of hours...." she groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. She wore one of the black coveralls, sensing that perhaps it would be best to leave her _beskar'gam_ til the wedding. With a groan, she sank into the chair across from him.

He looked over her appearance and walked into the kitchen area and poured them each a cup of caf and handed one to her. "Must have been a long project. Building the _beskar'gam_?"

Her eyebrows rose, and she accepted the cup with a nod. "Yeah....how did you...?" She peered at him over the rim of her mug. Steffan smiled. "I try to stay knowledgeable. It isn't too different from the Jensaari. They consider theirs a higher achievement than the building of their lightsaber." He took a sip of his caf before continuing, "Xan and I converse quite a bit, even share ideas on martial technique. I know enough about Mando culture to know that if you two were engaged, the armor was going to be made."

She grinned a little. "In all honesty, I wouldn't have expected it at first, given the way we met....." She told him briefly of Rendili as she sipped at her caf. He nodded as she relayed the tale. "So, how far along are you?"

"I completed it at about 0100....." she replied with a yawn before she muttered an apology.

"Don't worry," he said with his usual fatherly warm smile. "Nervous about all of this? Xan, I mean, not what's obviously coming."

"A little..." she admitted after a moment. "But being with Xan is like finding that missing piece to a puzzle you've been trying to finish..." she smiled slightly.

"Oh, I understand that well," Steffan told her. "That reminds me..." He started to get up, heading to one of his bookshelves. "Though you are not Cataani, and I haven't been your main teacher, there is an old tradition of a Master giving a gift for an occasion like this."

Callista's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Master Karrde, I...." She stopped for a moment, calming herself. "You may not have been my main teacher, but your family... and the General.... you ARE my family..." Her words were soft, and choked slightly with emotion.

"I feel the same way," he said as he pulled a sealed book from the shelf and reached into a box next to it to withdraw an item. "So I'm presenting this as a Master and a Father." He handed the leather-bound book to her. "As much as we've discussed saber technique and Cataan's history. You were so interested in the history part so this is the entire chronicle of Itaro that I told you."

"This," he said as he handed the wrapped item over. "Is actually a medallion. An ancestor of mine, Johian Karrde, was an old friend of Ulic Qel Droma before he had joined Exar Kun. This has been passed down for generations. Andrea has the match, and since you two are like sisters...."

Callista smiled slightly and took the book and the medallion carefully. " _Vor'e_. Speaking of Andrea, I did comm her first thing before I came over.... she was thrilled.." She brightened a little, some of the sleep haze fading.

"She won't be far behind you, I feel," he said with his father's smile again. "I know she'll be asked before much longer, Callista," he said as he got up, gesturing her up as well for a hug. "You may not be blood like her...but, like Dilan, you are as much a part of our family as blood."

She rose then, feeling his strong arms wrap around her and he folded her into a hug. Again, she smiled. "Among the Mando'ade.... when one is adopted, it is common for them to address the head of their clan as _buir_... it means 'father'..." she said softly, her head on his shoulder as she just stood there for a moment. She bit her lip, feeling tears threaten, but they were tears of joy. "Master Karrde, I am honored to be part of your _aliit_ (family)..."

"Don't worry," he said to put some humor in it. "We won't make you choose between Mando or Cataani." It got the laugh he wanted from her as he grinned. "Why don't you go home and get some more sleep. You look like you need it."

" _Elek_ , I do..." she smiled slightly, her cheeks flushing. " _Xan'ika_ said that the ceremony will be in the afternoon in the Room of a Thousand Fountains..."

"Then you need to rest and prepare," he said as he walked her to the doors.

* * *

He awoke with a start, hand darting for the lightsaber on the low table before the sofa. The lights slowly rose as he leapt over the back of the couch, facing the entryway, ready for an attack. His bare feet hit the cool wood of the floor, and his eyes focused on a familiar silhouette. He grinned sheepishly, and lowered his weapon.

“Interesting night, I take it?” Arie teased as she set her datapad on the hall table, and shrugged off her jacket.

“You could say that,” the Rogue replied, stretching. “Long day at the office? What time is it anyway?”

“It’s just past midnight,” Arie crossed to Myk and slipped into a tight hug. He winced and let out a slight moan. Arie raised an eyebrow, and traced her hands along his back. She pulled back, a look of shock on her face. “You’ve been in a fight!” She quickly pulled off the Rogue’s shirt before he even knew what was happening. Bruising colored his lower right ribs, numerous cuts and scrapes criss-crossed his arms and chest. She spun him around and gaped at the decimeter gash running up his back. “Myk-Ron! This wasn’t just a scuffle. What happened? How many were there? How much property damage did you cause?”

The Rogue laughed lightly, and winced again as Arie examined the large gash on his back. “I got jumped. There were about fifteen of them, trained Sith assassins, if I’m not mistaken. And, I was in a part of Coruscant where ‘property damage’ would have been an improvement.”

Arie sighed and began to concentrate on sealing the wound.

“Oh, and I’m fine, by the way,” Myk-Ron smirked over his shoulder at her.

“Please,” Arie waved him off as she continued to concentrate. Myk gasped as she used the force to extract several slivers of metal from the wound. “Don’t be such a baby. I know it’d take more than this to put you out of commission.” He just shrugged as she floated the silvery shards to a small bowl on one of the end tables near the sofa.

“Metal shards?” He asked as Arie finished sealing the wound. “I don’t remember any of them carrying conventional blades…”

“How much do you remember?” Arie led Myk back to the sofa and gave him back his shirt. “Details,” She said. “We’ll need a full report for intelligence and for the Jedi Council. A Sith attack on Coruscant…an attempt on Steffan’s boy, Dilan…something big is coming, and soon.”

“Well,” Myk slipped his shirt back over his head, and was pleased that most of the soreness was gone. She hadn’t lost her touch. When he was injured she just fell into the Force as a matter of course. He smiled. “It was pretty standard bad guy operations. There was a loud big guy with a green lightstaff that seemed to be the leader of sorts. The rest, save one, were well-trained, but slightly green. I get the feeling it was a throw-away mission. The only oddity was the one that left.”

“He left?” Arie picked up Myk’s abandoned glass and sipped at some of the whiskey still there.

“Yeah,” Myk said. “I thought it was a little off, too. But, he seemed much more level-headed, and much more…deadly. We didn’t fight. I think he knew I’d win in the long run. Instead, he told me we’d meet again before diving off a promenade and jetting out on an unmarked airspeeder. It was too far away for me to see any distinguishing marks or numbers on the speeder, but I doubt it would do much good anyway. Local law enforcement will probably find it abandoned by tomorrow, and a Sith isn’t going to leave anything behind that we could trace.”

Arie sighed. “Is there anything left at the site?”

“Shassa,” Myk palmed his forehead. “Just about fourteen dead Sith and their lightsabers…”

“Myk-Ron!” Arie exclaimed. “This is Coruscant! You can’t just leave a scene like that and not report it. We’re going to have every beat cop and reporter in that sector scrambling like mad over your mess. There goes any chance of seeing the scene before it becomes completely useless.”

“Sorry, Princess,” Myk looked out to the balcony. “I guess I just had other things on my mind. The list of suspects is pretty short, though. I don’t think it takes a military genius to see that Bane is testing the waters…”

“No, Myk,” Arie interrupted him. “But it takes proof to get the gears moving, and it would be nice to have a better picture of what he’s planning. I’d like to strike at him first for a change.”

“So we’ll call up Steffan, and that Mando that Calli’s been fawning over,” Myk shrugged. “Steffan can brief the council, and Xan can use his intelligence prowess to try to sort out the mess down in the red-light-“

“What were you doing in the red light district, anyway?” Arie cut him off.

“Walking,” he replied.

“Walking?”

“Yeah, just going for a stroll,” Myk raised an eyebrow. “I lost track of where I was going, and wound up in the scenic side of Coruscant.”

“You just go looking for trouble while I’m away, don’t you?”

“No,” Myk shot a look at his wife. “It pretty much knows where I am most of the time.”

“Myk…”

“I know, Princess,” he brushed a strand of hair from her face. “Gimme a little time to get back into the swing of things.”

She smiled at him then, “I missed you…even arguing with you. Nobody argues with me.”

“You’re the commander in chief of the joint military forces of the New Republic to them,” Myk said. “But, with me, you’re Arie. I missed you too, Princess. Every second."

They kissed then, long and slow, Arie’s arms snaking around Myk’s waist as he pulled her closer to him on the sofa. For long minutes they simply held each other there, breathing in the scent of each other, lavishing in a closeness they’d both been bereft of for ages.

“Oh,” Arie said after a time. “You mentioned Xan. His investigation will have to wait a bit tomorrow.”

“Really?” Myk shot her an incredulous look. “I can’t imagine the Mando taking a break for R and R.”

“Apparently he makes exceptions for Callista,” Arie shrugged. “He’s asked her to marry him. The ceremony is tomorrow.”

“That’s fast,” Myk said. “You think she’s rushing things?”

“They’re young,” Arie shrugged. “But I sense a deep love there. Something that can’t be explained or quantified. Not too unlike another couple I know.”

“Yeah, Han and Leia always did fit well together,” Myk shot her a wry grin.

Arie hit him with a pillow, “I was talking about us, nerfherder.”

“Right,” Myk smiled. “Well, I suppose we’d better get some rack time. It’s going to be an incredibly busy day tomorrow. A wedding, a briefing with Steffan, your intelligence unit, and an investigation…sounds like fun. And, afterward, you and I have a date.”

“A date?” Arie laughed. “How…when are we going to find time for a date?”

“We’ll make time,” the Rogue said. “It’s important.”

“If you say so,” Arie yawned as she stood and headed for the bedroom. “I’m going to take a shower…”

“Sounds like a great idea,” Myk smiled as he joined her in the hallway. “But, I’ve got this spot on my back I can never really reach on my own…”

“Oh, you’re smooth,” Arie mocked him.

“Like fine-grit sand paper,” Myk smiled.

The two of them laughed like they were kids again, chasing each other into the refresher…

* * *

Steffan walked around his desk from his preparations to fly back to Cataan when the comm unit chimed in.

"Nib Cadre," he said as he sat down. "I wasn't expecting a call from you."

"I know," she said. Steffan could see on her face that there was something bothering her. But before he could ask about it, she continued. "I need to see you in my office, Steffan. It's urgent."

"Sure," he said, a little uneasy. "I'm on my way."

From the Temple, it only took Steffan ten minutes to get to the public entrance to Galactic Aerospace's design office, Nib's unofficial 'headquarters' of the company. Nib was a trusted friend and a close associate of Steffan's. Not only because of her husband, Brink Cadre, but because she was the only person Steffan trusted with mobile suit design. Galactic Aerospace was the sole legal designer of industrial-working mobile suits...the only 'legal' mobile suits allowed in the New Republic. Because they worked together on design so often, it was easy for Steffan to enter into her office as soon as he arrived.

What surprised him was Arie waiting there along with another New Republic officer....Admiral Drayson from New Republic Intelligence. "Admiral," Steffan said in greeting as they shook hands. It hadn't been long ago that Steffan had traveled with Drayson on the Knight Caller to Enduron.

"Master Karrde," the admiral said as he looked at Nib and nodded. On that, Nib closed and locked the office door, hitting a switch that would inform the receptionist outside that a private meeting was going on.

"Okay, I know this isn't good news," Steffan said as they started to sit down. "Let us have it."

Drayson didn't waste time as he entered a datacard into the offices holoprojector and started to pull up the files. "This was taken on Kothlis yesterday," he said as he enhanced the image. "I don't need to tell you three what they are."

"Oh, we're familiar with this machine," Steffan said as he looked at the images. The Bothans had somehow reproduced the Harlean's Hellfire mobile suit. Arie and Steffan both had participated in destroying them. Arie and her White Falcon squadron in deep space, Steffan in Blue Talon as he attacked the production facilities on Harlean itself.

"They've not adapted the design at all," Nib said as she called up a file on a separate holoprojector and displayed the schematics of the original Hellfire suit.

"How in the Force did they manage to get the design," Arie said, he frustration showing. "Much less produce these numbers on the imagery."

"They apparently have more numbers than that," Drayson told them. "We've also noted massive transports large enough to carry them leaving the system, but we don't know their destination yet."

"How did you get this," Steffan asked, the realization of something else coming to his mind.

"We had a recon asset in the area and was able to get close enough to...."

"Nerf dung!" Steffan cursed, catching Arie off guard. "No recon-variant could get that close for that good of a visual scanner image....unless you equipped it with one of Nib's cloaking devices."

Steffan and Arie both now looked at Nib, wondering what their friend...their family...had done along with this.

"I helped design a recon mobile suit for Intelligence," she told them. "It has full stealth capabilities along with a cloaking device. It isn't armed, per the Senate bill."

Steffan nodded at that. That part, he could accept. "Okay. We are sure that the Bothans have reproduced the Hellfire suit, are mass producing it and transporting it to an unknown staging ground."

"That's all I have," Drayson said. He looked and saw that he was getting a penetrating stare from Arie...and knew that she would be giving him one hell of an argument later over this.

"Nib, we need to look over some things," Steffan said as a dismissal for the other two. When they left, he looked at her as he sat down. "You could have told me you were building it."

"And what would you have said?" she asked him. "I know how you are about these things getting out of control. Being unarmed and loaded with detection-supression and scanning equipment, I felt it was okay."

"Okay...do you have numbers on these things yet?"

"Two squadrons worth," she said as she counted the numbers. "They could have more. What are we going to do, Steffan. All we have is Blue Talon."

"No we don't," he told her. "We still have the full design blueprints for Archangel and Falcon."

"Do we rebuild them?"

"We just don't rebuild them.....we improve them."

* * *

"If you're not careful, we're going to be late," Andrea said to her father as he returned to their quarters in the Temple.

"You're starting to sound like your mother," Steffan joked as he handed her two datacards. "I have an engineering assignment for you when we get done."

"No staying for any kind of reception?" She asked as she looked at the cards before sitting down and inserting them into her laptop terminal. It was her specialized one that she used for her designs and other 'special' work.

"We'll have the time," he said as she pulled up the files, waiting for her reaction.

"Daddy," she started to say. " _Archangel_ and _Falcon's_ blueprints?"

"Yes," her father told her as he handed her a third card. She inserted this one in too and her eyes widened. "This....this is the schematic for _Blue Talon_ 's beam cannon. Are you serious?"

"What I need you to do is to come up with a design that has a lower output than the beam cannon," Steffan told her. "But still be able to punch through armor in a single shot."

"This might take some time."

"We're not going to have much of it now," Steffan said as he left for his room to get ready for the ceremony.

* * *

**The Ceremony....**

The sky was just starting to turn blush with the colors of sunrise as Callista wearily crawled back in bed. They only had a few hours until the ceremony was scheduled to take place. As she slid under the warm blankets again, she tucked her head under Xan's chin, trying not to wake him.

Xan woke anyway to the fragrant smell of Callista's hair. He yawned and stretched in place a bit before throwing his arms around her. " _Jate vaartur cyar'ika_ (good morning sweetheart), today's the big day."

"Mmhmmm..." She mumbled sleepily against his chest as she snuggled closer. "I just got back from talking with Steffan..." she said around a yawn.

Xan scowled a bit. "I hope he wasn't trying to talk you out of it." he semi-joked. "What's up?"

" _Nayc_...." she laughed softly. "He presented me with two things....." here her voice choked up a little. "The General... and Myk, and Master Karrde and his family... they are my family. And soon you will be too.." she cuddled closer. "He gave me two things...." she reached over and held up the medallion and then the book. "The Medallion has a mate... which his daughter Andrea has. And this..." she hefted the book.. "This is the legacy of Itaru. He told me parts of it during my training with him on Cataan..."

Xan noted the size of the book and smiled. "Thick book, I see." He was more interested in the medallion. "Is that anything like a JedCred?"

"I'd think so..." she mused thoughtfully as she ran her fingers over the surface. "Both have been in his family for generations...

"Fascinating..." he said "But a family.....that's more interesting to me. Never really had one."

"Me either...until I came to the Temple." She sighed softly and set the medallion and the book back on the bedside table carefully. "I'm glad I have one now...." Callista wrapped her arms around her after she settled. "I guess it's kind of like what the Mando'ade do.... I was adopted in all but name..."

Xan nodded. "It's very similar, just less armor." He'd grown quiet, and it didn't need a Jedi to pick up the bittersweet sadness he was feeling. "What are you thinking, _cyar'ika_...?" Callista asked quietly, lifted her head to gaze at him as she traced his cheek softly.

Xan sighed as he got out of bed to dress in his _beskar'gam_. "I just wish Master Del could have been here in the flesh to see this day..." Callista was silent for a moment, watching him before she rose, her feet touching the cool tile as she crossed to him and slid her cool fingers around his stomach, holding him close. "He still can see it, in a way..." she reminded him softly, remembering how Master Faulkner had appeared to her.

Xan smiled. "I know..." He said "He would tell me the same thing no doubt." he hugged her close for a minute more than finished getting his armor on. "So you ready to try yours out?"

She grinned at him, much like a youngster getting her first speeder. "Are you kidding, I've been looking forward to it!" She padded back across the cool stone and opened the wardrobe, laying out the plates on the bed.

Xan grinned. "I'll make you a robe and kama combo soon for more formal stuff," he said absent-mindedly as he strapped on his weapons. "And sometime today we need to track down your padawan."

"You're right...." Callista said softly, flushing before she began strapping on the leg armor and working her way up. It fit surprisingly well, and it was light and manageable.

Xan nodded. "And then once that's done, we should get back to some serious matters, namely the new Sith that tried killing Steffan's child."

She nodded. "Attacks by the Sith and those hired by them have been increasing over the past year or so." She paused a moment. "Ma...Steffan thinks it's a precursor to something else... like they are testing us..."

Xan frowned. "For what though? Nothing I've come across has given any motive thus far."

"That I don't know... nor does he... yet. Only time will tell, I guess..." Callista shrugged, letting the armor settle a little before she reached for the final piece - the helmet.

Xan smiled, "From this point, you'll never go back you know?"

"As if I'd even want to..." she told him, elbowing him gently in the ribs before she tucked the helmet in the crook of her arm and stof on her toes to kiss him. "You know... I don't know if my robes will fit over the plates..." she said after a moment.

Xan laughed. "That's why I said I'd make you a combo robe and kama, on designed to fit over the armor."

 _"Ni ceta_... (I'm sorry)" she said, flushing slightly as she clipped her twin sabers to her belt. After a moment's thought, she slipped on he medallion Steffan had given her, tucking it beneath the chest plate close to her heart. "Guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be..."

Xan slipped on his helmet and opened the private comm, "That makes two of us." Smiling beneath her own she reached out in the Force, sending calming waves. "It can't be as bad as a normal ceremony, right...?" Xan shuddered "Way too long and pointless expenses. I'll take four lines and a pint of ale over it all."

"Mhm." She agreed after a moment, slipping her gloved fingers into his. "Let's do this..."

After a moment, she turned and strode purposefully from their shared quarters, leading the way towards the Room of a Thousand Fountains. She could feel the excitement in the air. It was heavy, like a strong perfume, and she grinned over at Xan. Xan was glad his face was obscured by the helmet a bit as he saw the gathered people. "I wasn't exactly expecting this kind of a turnout."

"Neither was I....." She flushed slightly beneath her own helmet. "Isn't the Mando ceremony usually a private one...?" she asked quietly over the shared comm channel. As she glanced around the room, spotting Ari and Myk. He seemed a little ... worse for wear and she frowned. She'd have to talk to him later. Steffan was there with Andrea as well, and she could sense his approval in the Force.

Xan sensed something was off. There was joy but it was tempered by something. " _Cal'ika_ , I got a bad feeling here. Not about the ceremony either. We'd better find out what's up after this is over." Xan nodded to Arie and Myk and then Steffan and Andrea. He also noticed a girl whom he had not met before. "Is that Althea?" he asked Callista.

She nodded, and then answered his question as the dark-haired girl came over. "It is..." she said softly before the girl enveloped her in a hug.

Xan held himself back as Callista and Althea reunited. After a moment, Althea turned her face to look up at Callista. "I knew it was you, Master..." the teen said breathlessly. "I'm so happy for you!"

Callista smiled and hugged Althea back tightly. "I'm glad you came." Her voice was filled with emotion, and she squeezed Xan's hand for a moment.

Xan removed his helmet and smiled at the teenager. "As am I. Indeed I'm glad you are all here, though usually, this is a private ceremony for Mando'ade. You are all _aliit_ or family so this makes it more meaningful."

Althea nodded enthusiastically. "When Master Callista told me, I knew I had to be here!" She nervously brushed a few stray strands of hair behind her ears. "I guess news travels fast around here....always does..." And then she grinned. "I think there's a good open spot for you next to the central Fountain..."

Xan grinned "Well _Cal'ika_ , you ready?"

Callista chuckled and shook her head a moment before she nodded. "As I'll ever be..." She embraced Althea again with her free hand as she slipped her fingers into Xan's. "Shall we?"

Xan nodded and slipped on his helmet with his free hand " _Elek_." For a moment, Callista gazed at Althea, squeezing her shoulder gently with her gloved hand before she turned and followed Xan, her helmet still on. A few moments later, they stood in front of the central fountain, and she gently took his fingers in hers, turning to face him as she felt impressed to lean her visor against his.

Xan leaned in to press his helmet against Callista's and in one voice, with the Force flowing all around them they recited the vows. " _Mhi solus tome_. (We are one together.) _Mhi solus dhar'tome_. (We are one when parted.) _Mhi me'dinui an._ (We share all.) _Mhi ba'juri verde._ (We will raise warriors.)" As Xan began to recite the vows, Callista followed suit, her pronunciation, rough, but firm. She meant every word. She could feel the Force moving between them, strengthening their bond to each other. The room was still as if every person held their breath.

Xan thn removed his helmet and noted Callista followed suit and they kissed deeply, for the first time as husband and wife. The bond that formed through the Force was now sealed for eternity. When they broke the kiss, Xan and Callista turned and faced the crowd. "You lot can breathe now, it is done." Callista smirked at him, and jabbed him playfully in the ribs after she removed her own helmet. "Sorry, was a little nervous..." She clung to his hand, grinning as she saw Arie and Myk and Steffan headed towards them. "Watch out, they're gonna catch us in a pincer maneuver..." she grinned.

Xan grinned. "Best way through a pincer maneuver is to be blunt," he joked. "Well now _vode_ (my friends), I hope you weren't expecting something complicated." Myk grinned openly and punched Xan in the shoulder, making a show of cradling his hand as Steffan hid a smile. "You had me all worked up, Qenadius....." Xan noticed Myk's injuries and nearly scowled but smiled. "Correlians getting worked up....that's a new one." he rolled his eyes before laughing to cut the mock tension.

Myk snorted and shared an amused glance with Arie. "Well now, seems he fits in rather well with us Rim rats..." Arie laughed and rolled her eyes in Callista's direction. "I'm happy for you, Calli..." she said quietly as she elbowed Myk gently out of the way. Xan knew something was hanging in the air and showing typical bluntness he didn't wait long. "Right, now that the ceremony is over; someone care to fill me in here? Something's up again. The Force is radiating with all of your apprehension." He pointed to all three.

This time it was Steffan that spoke up. "We should adjourn to the Council Chambers I think..... this is rather sensitive..." He glanced over at Andrea. "I'll fill you in later, Andrea. See what else you can find out from Dilan." Andrea nodded and hugged him. "Yes, Daddy..." She smiled and hugged Callista tightly, winking as she spotted the medallion’s chain. "Congratulations, Callista." she said quietly before she slipped away.

Steffan watched her go for a moment before he turned and led the way down the corridor and into the lift that took them to the Council Chambers. Once inside, he sank into his customary seat, gesturing for the others to sit as well. "Now then, Myk-Ron...." Steffan said, turning his gaze to the Rogue. "Care to tell us why you came back looking like a nek chewed you to bits?"

Myk shifted slightly, wincing. Callista eyed him for a moment. She didn't doubt Arie's healing abilities, but she knew Myk could be stubborn. "After the Trials....I went for a walk....I kinda lost track of where I was, and found myself in the lower levels of Coruscant. I was surrounded by at least fifteen Sith. They were trained, but still fresh; cocky. Their leader didn't engage." He ran his fingers through his sleep-disheveled hair. "I... left the scene. It was the last thing on my mind at the time..." He shared a glance with Arie. "I can't guarantee that the scene hasn't been compromised..."

Xan frowned. "Where in the lower levels, Master Dinn?" he asked in the tone of voice that meant he was all business. Myk frowned, closing his eyes for a moment as he tried to visualize the area. after a moment he opened them again. "The ally just off the promenade in front of a rather seedy bar called...Jabba's Revenge...I think."

Xan really scowled now. "So you just _happened_ to go for a stroll in the Red-Light district and got jumped." Xan banged a gloved fist against the armrest of the chair "Well if CSF hasn't closed the crime scene by now, we can safely bet ANYTHING of interest is in the Hutt's hands." Arie scowled. ''I put in a call to CSF as soon as I found out. I haven't heard anything yet, so I'm assuming they have the scene locked down. They would have commed me if they'd had any problems..."

Xan scratched his chin. "I don't suppose they were forthcoming with any evidence if any remained."

Arie shook her head. "Not as of yet...." And then her comm went off. "Kriff..." she muttered. Glancing at the datapad screen she nodded. "That was CSF. They were able to lock it down before the bodies went missing. But from reports, it looks like a couple of the lightsabers have vanished... Other than that, nothing was disturbed."

Xan growled again. "Looks like I go Hutt corralling later." He turned back to Myk-Ron, "Anything of note that was off, despite the numbers and the obvious fact they were Sith? Dress, language, anything?" Myk frowned slightly. "Besides that one Sith that seemed to be in charge of the lot? Not really. I got the sense he had a lot more experience than he was letting on..."

Xan nodded and asked, "Do you have any evidence collected from your person or clothing that could give us a start?"

Sharing a glance with Arie he nodded and pulled a sealed bag from his belt. Inside the clear bag were the shards that Arie had extracted from his back. "Arie pulled these out of my back...I don't know what they are." Callista frowned. "I can test those for residuals.... not sure how much I'll get, but it's worth a try anyway..."

Xan nodded at Callista but shared a worried look with Arie. "Did you perform a residual poison check on Myk-Ron?"

She nodded. "Nothing conclusive, but then I didn't really have the proper equipment... Callista should be able to do one in the Med ward..." At that Myk scowled, but his face softened as he looked at Callista. "You know how I hate hospitals..." Callista just smiled at him. "I'll be gentle, I promise.." Arie hid a smile behind her hand for a moment.

Xan shared a look with Callista. "I'll want the results ASAP, _Cal'ika_."

" _Elek_..." Callista replied quietly. "You'll have them as soon as I know..." She reached out and carefully caught the evidence bag that Myk tossed at her. "Come on then, Myk... Might as well have a look at you..." The Rogue groaned but knew he couldn't weasel his way out this time. "Yes, ma'am..." he said, tossing her a cheeky grin. Arie rolled her eyes and swatted his shoulder.

"General, I want those bodies on ice for Callista and Althea to look at later. I'll need something more concrete before forming a conclusion and jumping into the Hutt's den."

"Not a problem, Qenadius...." She said, still formal, as she typed a quick not to CSF and sent it. "You'll have them within three hours..."

"Meanwhile, Rotta's got something we need. those sabers may give us some clue as to the origin of these assassins. I can guarantee this will not be easy."

"Only two are missing.. there's still a dozen or so at the scene then..." Callista said, frowning slightly.

"Ten thousand creds say the missing are the most important," he said and frowned. "Why didn't you get the scene contained afterward, Dinn?"

Myk frowned. "I needed to find Arie..." He didn't break his gaze from Xan's. He knew he should have secured the scene. He made no apologies for that.

"Trouble is said to find you, Rogue. Just don't make a habit of giving me little to work with to help save your shebs next time." Xan said annoyed "Regardless, at least we've got _something_ to work with. I'll dredge through my contacts, see if Rotta is in a mood for visitors. Hate to make too much of a mess."

Myk smirked but then sobered. "If you need a hand, just ask, Qenadius..."

Xan curtly nodded. "Anything to add to my list while we're at it, Steffan?"

Steffan stroked his beard for a moment. "No, I think that about covers the pressing matters right now... I think we can adjourn for the moment."

Xan stood up. "May take me a while to get word back from my contacts, they're usually skittish when it comes to the Hutts. So I'll play nice with them till Callista comes back with the info on the poison test and the metal trace."

Steffan nodded. "Best we let her get to that then...." he rose and nodded. "If you'll excuse me..?" and then he was gone.

Xan blinked and looked at Arie. "Still disturbed by the attack on Cataan, isn't he?"

"Yes, he is...." she said quietly. Xan nodded but kept silent, not knowing yet if the 2 events were connected in some way or not. Arie frowned. "I do think there is a connection... what though, I'm unsure."

Xan smirked, knowing his thoughts were well-read. "I'll find it then General, it's what I do best. Apart from getting certain Correlian skins in knots." he winked at her.

Myk groaned and mock-glared. "When I'm back in one piece, we should spar... _after_ I help you out though..."

Xan just nodded but looked at him seriously. "But for the time being, just don't go for any late-night walks OUTSIDE the Temple's walls _me'ven_ (huh)?"

"Alright, alright...." Myk said crossly. "Besides, I doubt the women would let me..." he said trying to lighten the mood a little.

Xan put his helmet on. "Well then, I'll go drag the nets now and see what I can find. _Cal'ika_ , you got my channel." And with that, he walked out of the council chamber. Callista nodded and blinked in surprise when he pulled the same thing Steffan had. "Well that was ..interesting......." She stood, and tucked the evidence bag carefully into a belt pouch.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can the Embrace truly be called enlightenment? Falk might have something to say on the matter...

**Rhen Var**

_The pain...._

...it was intolerable....yet tolerable at the same time.

It was actually difficult for him to describe what it was like....being in the Embrace of Pain.

Amrond had told him that it was an important part of his training and conditioning, as it was for all apprentices.

"I failed," Falk had told him as they left Cataan.

"You have not," his teacher told him. "You were instructed not to kill the boy...yet. A message was to be sent to the Jedi. You have done that."

"I wanted to kill him," Falk told him. "Yearned for the release of it."

"Then maybe you should contemplate this in the Embrace, Falk. Face your own temptations of it or follow your master's orders."

So he had been hung there for hours now. Interestingly enough, just as one of his former teachers...Steffan Karrde...found that music during his meditations brought him so close to the Force's will, the Embrace of Pain was beginning to do the same for him. If there was a word for what the Embrace was doing to him, it might have been enlightenment.

"Couldn't even kill a Jedi," he heard the taunting voice entering into the chamber. "Not even a scratch."

He relaxed himself, having learned the secret to letting the Embrace release him, and knelt down on the floor while his body worked out the aches from so long a time. "I was ordered not to," he said, having learned that lesson already from his session. "Obedience to Lord Bane is above all. Having been an apprentice longer than I, you should know this."

"I think he has you there," another said. This one had befriended Falk after a while...as much as a Sith Apprentice would, at any rate.

"A lame excuse," the other said as he spat at Falk. "Just like a coward would do."

Falk looked up at him, the urge he felt on Cataan returning to him...and could somehow feel his heart nodding at it. "This coward is fixing to show everyone here what you last ate."

_He lunged and reached for his lightsaber...._

* * *

Bane and Amrond looked over at what was left of the carnage in the room. The only thing undamaged was the Embrace of Pain, strangely.

"A matter of minutes," Amrond said as they left the room. "He went from calm understanding after being in the Embrace for hours to controlled rage instantly."

"Impressive..." Bane grumbled. "Most impressive. I believe his training will be complete soon."

"Just in time, then."

They walked out into the great hall of the old citadel on Rhen Var. Bane would be gathering all of his warriors here in the evening. It was going to be a grand announcement to the Order.

"Ridan?" he asked Amrond as they crossed the room.

"He should be here soon," Amrond told him. "As we thought, he was the only survivor and has seen the stranger's ability first-hand."

"Good. See to it he reports immediately."

* * *

**Coruscant**

"Finished," Andrea said as she handed Steffan the datapad. "I just used the schematics you drew up for the _H'kana_ -class's pulse cannons based on the cannon and rearranged it into a seperate device that the Falcon suits can hold during the fight."

"Excellent," Steffan said as he looked over the plans. "This is great work...shouldn't take long to reproduce. Andrea...I'm going to ask you to not join us in this fight when we find out where the Sith are."

"What?" She asked as she looked surprised. "Father, I am a Jedi Knight. It is my place to be in the fight."

"Your place is where I need you, daughter," Steffan said, holding up a hand to forestall any additional argument. "And that will be at _Blue Talon'_ s controls."

"Me? Fly the mobile suit? Why?"

"Arie will be needing all the help she'll need when Nib and I show her that we're rebuilding these units and even more when they use them against the Bothans. You are the only other one that can operate _Blue Talon_ in combat."

"Yes, daddy," She said, calming down now.

"Go get some rest," he told her with a smile. "You've got a few messages from Edward to answer anyway."

* * *

**Jedi Temple Medbay**

“Yes, sir,” The military accountant was saying. “It is entirely possible that you are a clone. Logically, I can see no other explanation to your sudden reappearance and apparent age. Have the tests been completed, Knight Callista?”

“Now you listen here, pal,” Myk began, but Callista cut him off.

“Just now,” she said as she handed the aide a datacard. “I’ve run DNA testing with specific attention to duplicate strands common in clones. They came up negative. I next ran the DNA against the sample on file here. That came up with a 99.95 percent match. All evidence points to this man being who he claims to be. Outside of that, General Dinn, I, and the Jedi Grand Master can sense nothing to suggest to the contrary.”

The aide paled a bit as he poured over the technical data. He looked to Myk-Ron, who was sitting on the padded med-table with his shirt off as Callista worked on completing the job Arie had started the night before. “This…this is unprecedented,” he said. “Re-opening your file will be easy, but your will has been disbursed, your remaining funds transferred…there’s a plaque in the ‘Hall of Heroes’ with your name on it…”

“Okay, okay,” Myk raised a hand to forestall the accountant. “One thing at a time. The will. I left everything to Arie, right?”

“Yes,” the aide nodded.

“Well, that shouldn’t be a problem then, I’ll just have her sign the _Firebird_ back over to me, and we’ll call it square – Ow!” Myk flinched as Callista probed his bruised ribs.

“They’re cracked, Master Dinn,” Callista frowned as she began concentrating.

“I don’t remember getting hit there that hard…” Myk-Ron started.

“That leaves the matter of your commission,” the aide plunged on. “Dying pays dependents a sum of one full-year salary immediately and then continues to pay three-quarters that amount for the next twenty years. Seeing as you were technically MIA all that time, it would appear that the NR military actually owes you nineteen years at one-quarter your annual salary plus twenty years of your full salary. The stipulation to the receipt of that money, minus taxes, of course, is your immediate reinstatement and debriefing.”

Myk-Ron whistled. “That’s quite a lot of money. Were I to reinstate, what would that entail? My squadron is mostly dead or retired. I’m sure I could start training up a new unit, but I’d want time to re-familiarize myself with all the new technology before even considering it. Then there’s the question of my retirement. Is the NR going to count the 45 years MIA toward ‘time served’ or will I be starting over again in that regard?”

“I’m not qualified to answer with precisely what you’ll be doing,” the accountant replied. “But, yes, the NR would count your years MIA toward ‘time served’ meaning you could feasibly retire after six more months on active duty.”

“Give me the datacard,” Myk said as Callista went to look over a diagnostic machine nearby. “I’ll have to think about this,” The Rogue continued. “Who do I report to with my decision?”

“Well, there’s another interesting bit concerning just that,” the aide said as he handed Myk the card. “With the consolidation of the NR military forces, and some retro-active promotions, your new rank is full-bird Colonel, and you report directly to…um…General Dinn.”

Myk-Ron laughed and then winced with pain. “That’ll make things easier... what about Maxell?” He said, rubbing his side.

"Colonel Maxell? I suppose you two would be on the same par with rank." the aide replied.

“If that’s all, lieutenant, I need to get back to letting this talented young lady patch me up.” Myk smiled.

“Aye, sir,” The aide stood, hesitated, and then threw the Rogue a salute before taking his leave.

“Calli,” Myk said. He turned to see the young woman still looking at the diagnostics board. “Something wrong?”

“I’m not sure,” Callista turned to face him, frowning. “You’re something of an anomaly, Master Dinn. The machines all say that you’re near 87, but the Force and your appearance say otherwise. It seems like your body is having some difficulty reconciling the two.”

“Huh?”

Callista sighed. “By rights, you’re healed. Every trace of every wound has been repaired, but your pain receptors are still firing. Mis-firing, actually. It’s almost as though your brain is forcing you to feel the effects of last night’s fight like an 87-year-old would…despite the fact that your body has already sprung back to one hundred percent.”

“Well,” Myk shrugged. “I was under for longer than I’ve ever been before…longer than anyone I’ve ever heard of, actually. Could it be a side-effect? More importantly, do you think it’s something I’ll get over? It’s just pain, I suppose, and I can usually shunt it or ignore it, but I’d rather not have to split my focus like that every time I fight.”

“I’m not sure,” Callista said, her arms folded. “I’ll have to do some research, and see what I can dig up.”

“I’d appreciate it,” Myk smiled as he put his shirt back on. “Anything on those metal shards?”

“No detectable poisons,” Callista moved to collect the small bag containing the slivers. “You’re clean. I’ll get these to Xan so he can run them through forensics. Maybe we can find a point of origin.”

“Well, thanks for patching me up, Calli,” Myk said, enfolding the young woman in a hug before heading to the door. “I’m going to try to find my wife, and Steffan, and Xan. See if they’ve found anything yet.”

Callista just smiled and shook her head as Myk left the med ward, but she was worried. As she'd told him, he looked and acted half his age, but his physical body told a different story. With a frown, she stepped into her small office, and closed the door before she commed Arie. It was hard for her to keep her voice even. As calmly as she could, she told Arie the news. But she still felt the ripples from Arie. Her expression tightened. She knew it was hard, but she felt Arie had a right to know. Quietly, she signed off, and then commed Xan. "Xan..it's Calli..."

Xan was scouring the holonet, searching through the CSF report that was not given to the council. Nothing of note, besides the fact the bodies had not been examined by the coroner. Xan smiled a little at that nugget of news. It seemed the General did have enough pull in that area. He then got a warble on his comm from Callista. He opened the channel, _"Hello cyar'ika, got something for me I hope?"_

Callista smiled slightly, but it wasn't much. "I've finished seeing to Myk, and I've got the analysis of the shards for you, plus a medical workup on him..."

Xan scowled slightly. _"Go ahead, Cal'ika."_

"The shards themselves are free of any toxins... which is good. I did find some trace elements on the metal that are only found in one place.. Rhen Var. Myk's doing better...." she sighed, wondering how to tell him.

Xan frowned. _"Rhen Var? Why are the Sith massing on that iceball?"_ he wondered aloud. _"Nothing else, Cal'ika?"_

She swallowed. "To that, I have no idea, but it's been a Sith world for quite some time.... As to the rest..." She sighed. "Medically, Myk's fine. He looks and acts like a man who's around 35 or so. But _physically_ , it's taking him a lot longer to bounce back. His physical body is that of a man roughly 70.... even though he doesn't look it. Some side effects of the hibernation, I would guess. I've spoken with the General."

Xan scowled. _"Interesting...not really info I need for my case though."_ he smiled a bit _"But that doesn't mean I'm less concerned."_

"I thought you should know... just... I don't want him doing too much. Not that we can stop him, though." She sighed. "Did you want to run forensics on the shards?"

Xan nodded. _"I do, but I think one of the other junior padawans can do that for us. I need you and Althea for something else."_

Callista quirked an eyebrow. "I can get her. She's working in the ward right now. What did you need...?"

_"CSF thankfully didn't get the coroner in action on the Sith bodies. The General put the freeze on them in time, I want you two to check their bodies for anything of note."_

Her eyebrows rose again. "Are you expecting us to find something in particular...?"

He made a facial version of a shrug. _"I'm not sure, but I don't want to rule anything out. Besides, you and Althea need some time together and I could you for sure afterward. But for now, you two look over the bodies and I'll tear a strip off of CSF."_

She chuckled at that. "Alright then. Any ETA on when the bodies will be here....?" She held up a hand as her temple comm went off. It was the Sergeant-at-arms. "Healer Gseran, there's a CSF coroner her for you. He's got a bunch of bodies for you...I'll have two of the security team escort him up." Her mouth quirked. "Thank you...." She cut the comm. "Looks like I'll need to get back to you.."

Xan frowned. _"Dammit....CSF is really pissing me off. Alright, I still want you and Althea to work on that, Cal'ika."_

" I know..." Callista said quietly after she'd closed the line with the Sergeant-at-arms. "It could take a while though.... alt least a dozen bodies...."

_"Understood, gives me a chance to scour the holonet a bit more then. I'll be at the apartment afterward."_

" _Elek_..." She said, stretching slightly before she stood. "I'll have to change into surgical attire...but I'll be there as soon as I'm done.."

 _"Understood, cyar'ika. Qenadius out."_ and with that, he closed the comm.

Swearing softly, Callista pulled off her helmet, and began stripping off her _beskar'gam_ , until she stood in her coverall. With that done, she made her way to the morgue and gowned up. Althea was already there, setting out the instruments. With a groan, Callista scanned the bodies...14. _Shab, this was going to take all night._ Shaking herself, she stepped up to the first corpse and began.

* * *

Almost 36 hours had passed by the time she finally sealed up the incision in the last one. It was all she could do to stand up. For all that, they had found.... pretty much nothing. Whoever had sent them knew what they were doing. The only thing of note was a small tattoo on the right forearm of each. She'd seen it before. It was the Mark of the Sith. With hands that shook with exhaustion, she helped Althea clean up and store the bodies before she tossed her surgical gown into the biowaste container and donned her beskar'gam. She'd documented everything and put it on a datacard for Xan. Then she slowly made her way to the apartment.

Xan was pouring over the reports from the CSF officers that were on the scene after they eventually closed down the scene. It was the same thing all the time, and nothing of note. He grew tired and more and more frustrated with each report he read, he didn't even hear Callista entering the apartment. Quietly, Callista slipped into the apartment, letting the door close behind her. After a moment, she found Xan slumped in front of the computer terminal. Fighting back a yawn, she slipped her arms around him, laying her head on his shoulder.

Xan embraced her arms and smiled. "Let me guess, as much of a dead-end as this flimsiwork is?"

" _Elek_..." she replied, fighting a yawn as she dug out the datacard. "Nothing there really, except for a Sith tattoo on each of them... here.." she pointed to her forearm. "I've seen it before... on Korriban. But other than that, the bodies were... clean... too much so. As if whoever sent them knew we'd go over them. I got more out of those damn shards.."

Xan stood up and then held her in his arms for a minute. "Well then, it looks like it's down to the Hutt lair itself tomorrow."

"Think you'll find anything..?"

"If Rotta is smart, which considering his position, he would have to be, then I'm not getting anything easy. but the longer I can keep the charade going of being a simple bounty hunter, the better."

"Think you'll need a hand...?"

"Most likely....but I need someone that can keep up a charade as well." He held her for a second or so. "I won't ask you unless you want to. But this is a bit out of your element."

Callista sighed. "I know... who were you considering..?" she asked curiously, kissing his cheek. "That's the thing...no intelligence agents are to be had right now. So I may just end up doing this myself." Callista frowned. "I just don't want you getting in a spot you can't get out of..."

"Rotta's guards are the simple part. Weequays and Rodians....the Rodians are a tougher challenge but the Weequays, easily misled. Tell them you are sent by Quay and they'll stop. But still it's going to be hard." Her lips thinned for a moment. She knew it was his job, but she couldn't help worrying. "Just be careful....Myk, Steffan or myslef are only a thought away if you need us.."

"Myk walking into the Revenge is as good as blowing my cover, same as Steffan. I would call on you but I don't want you to do anything you don't want." he said Despite the extra hands he could use, he wasn't willing to risk her yet

"I want to help you, Xan.." she said quietly, kissing him softly. "Just let me know. I've had....a little training from the General....if you need the help, I'll go..."

Xan had to quietly admit that Callista was the only one that he could really use in this situation, and the fact she breezed through the Mando training said that she was capable. "I'm just not willing to risk it, but I will not turn you down if you do want in, _cyar'ika_."

Callista chuckled lightly. "In all honesty... I could use a change of scenery... Being a Healer is all well and good, but I've been stuck in the Temple too long.."

"The Revenge is a change of scenery for sure, and the smell will knock you on your shebs if your filters don't work." he joked as he led her to the bedroom, they needed sleep. "But if you're coming, then at least there will be something good to look at there."

She smirked and smacked him playfully in the shoulder. "Not if it's obscured by beskar'gam..."

He began stripping off his plates and flight suit and prepared himself for sleep. "Anyway, I get the feeling there is more to this then some missing sabers, and something big is missing."

"I agree... but we need sleep before we can tackle it..." Callista yawned and slipped into a sleep shirt before she climbed under the covers.

* * *

_I need to be in my study at home for this kind of research....._

Steffan had books opened over the tables of their living quarters, looking at history and trying to find clues...getting nowhere.

_I used to be so good at investigating this kind of things....having to administer to the Order for so long._

It didn't stop him from going on the missions that he had been on. Though they were not as frequent...something he knew his wife gave silent praise for. He looked at one of his books and noticed a reference to Rhen Var and, remembering what Callista had told him, grabbed his datapad that was connected to the main computer and started to pull up all the records that they could find on the planet. While he was waiting on it, he remembered one of his books at home, talking about Ulic Qel-Droma's history. Rhen Var was his final resting place.

_Why would you be there, Bane? Are you still there?_

They still didn't have a real grasp of how they really saw things. It made Steffan wonder about it and more. He was pursuing a slightly different idea in training and philosophy himself. It was a lot for him, but he had the support of his friends in the order. His family enjoyed the idea, since his praxeum was going to be on Cataan. With the drastic evacuation of the majority of the Jedi Temple so short a while ago, things were in constant motion now as to where the Jedi would settle.

He kept looking over the files and materials for an hour and still not seeing a connection to Bane's motives yet.

 _I'm looking at this the wrong way....I need to refocus,_ he thought, grabbing the case of his flute as he headed to the Chamber of a Thousand Fountains.

* * *

**Rhen Var**

_It's almost time,_ Bane thought as he walked through the corridors, watching his warriors practice, making pieces of armor...each with a certain style.

He called them all together into the central chamber as he looked at them all.

"The old Sith believed that a warrior only deserved what they were strong enough to take," he told them. "Soon, we will prove that we are indeed strong to take what has always been ours!"

Almost as one, the warriors raised lightsabers high and yelled out a battle cry. "Let the Jedi come!"

* * *

Steffan felt it instantly as he had been in deep meditation at the central fountain. He could feel the power and energy at the same time that Bane started inciting his warriors.

 _That's what you want?_ Steffan thought as he opened his eyes. _Do you want to settle everything in this?_

* * *

The next morning came far too quickly for Callista's liking. Thirty-six hours without sleep was pushing it, even for her. With a groan and a muttered curse, she pulled the blankets up over her head as Xan slipped out of bed.

"Come on, _Cal'ika_ ," he said as he slid out of bed an stretched, groaning as he did so. "You said you'd give me a hand today."

"I know I did, _Xan'ika_... but I'm so tired..." she rolled over onto her back with her arm over her face. "Thirty-six hours is not my idea of fun..."

Xan growled. "And going alone into the Hutt's den is not mine." He started to dress up in his flight suit and armor. "But if you want to revisit your decision, just let me know quick." With another groan, she rolled over and stood. " _Nayc_.... I said I'd come, and I will. Just give me a minute to wake up..." she said, stretching before she began to dress carefully.

"I'll get _behot_ on, we got time for a quick cup."

"Alright..." Callista finished clipping on her plates. " _Behot_ would be good, right now....it'll help me wake up..." she told him with a smile before she kissed him. "Now... you said the guards wouldn't be that difficult... but what about when we're inside?"

"I was talking about when we're inside _cyar'ika_..." Xan said. "Rotta is not going to do a thing in the open, _Cal'ika_. CSF would be crawling all over him if he did."

"Mmmm... that's true.... at least we know what to look for. I did go over the other sabers, so I think I'll be able to pick up the crystals via the Force... should make it a little easier to find them. Actually getting our hands on them is the challenge though..."

"If the Sith are smart, they're trying to get them back as well, so we need to keep on our toes here just in case they show. Plus, I still feel like we're missing something."

"The question is.... what though...?" Callista scratched the back of her neck in thought. "You think there's another motive for this whole thing...?"

Xan nodded. "Rotta wouldn't take anything unless it suits his interests, I think something caught his attention and he hoping to use the sabers to play us of the sith and distract us." Callista frowned. "Maybe... there was something special about those sabers.... which he found out. It would explain why the Sith want them so bad. Maybe they hide something...?"

"Hmmm, possibly....but we'll need those sabers to find out." he said as he walked to the kitchen and poured 2 cups of steaming liquid. "Message cylinders can be found on some lightsabers, as a Jedi or Sith would never lose them intentionally." With a smile, she took the mug he passed to her, and took a slow sip. "So... We need to find out. It was obviously important. I've never done this kind of thing before.... anything else I should know...?"

* * *

**The Dinn Apartments**

She had a tumbler of whiskey on the low table in front of the sofa. She had a glass of Coruscanti Red in her hand. She sipped at the wine, and let the crimson liquid sit on her tongue for a bit, relishing the rich berry and smoke flavors, before swallowing. The alcohol hit her stomach and spread warmth throughout her body. She wore a blue silk robe, tied with a sash at the waist. Her hair, tamed straight, was pulled up into a loose ponytail and tied with a scrap of blue ribbon. Idly, she drummed her fingers on the Coshakian pine of the table as her thoughts drifted.

Callista’s call had been… _different_. The worry she felt upon hearing Myk’s diagnosis was as natural to her as breathing. The man lived in a near-constant state of life-threatening danger. As a fighter pilot for the NR, he flew countless missions in which a single mistake could mean the difference between coming home in one piece or not at all. As a Jedi, he had been tested constantly. From Sith Lords to Dathomiri Nightsisters, the list of enemies of the Jedi was long, and their numbers endless. Arie always worried, but that worry was always trimmed with the knowledge that Myk-Ron Dinn would do everything he could and more to come back to her. He was a fighter, like she was.

It wasn’t the worry that had her thinking though. Worry she could handle. It was the attack on that rock-solid idea that Myk would be fine, that had her mind flitting about like hawkbats riding the Coruscanti thermal streams. The idea that Myk’s body was old seemed somehow… _wrong_. He’d always pushed the envelopes of his own physical endurance and resilience. It was just another facet of his drive to excel. But, if the tests were to be trusted, he was now coming dangerously close to exceeding those limits without even knowing it until it was too late. And, what would happen if he did push on past that barrier?

Callista had said that his body was healed, but his pain receptors continued to fire as though he wasn’t. Body and soul were 35, his mind and nerves were closer to 80. Arie wondered if the dichotomy would ever resolve itself…she wondered if she could do anything to address the issue directly. _Girl, you’re going to run yourself ragged with this thought train,_ Arie admonished herself. _Calli’s researching the issue, and nobody’s better suited to the task. All you can do is wait, and try not to drive yourself crazy._

“That’s good advice,” Myk’s voice from the entry hall broke Arie’s line of thought. She spitted the Rogue with a mock glare.

“Just how long have you been eavesdropping there?” She asked. “Not incredibly polite, that.”

“I only just got here,” Myk grinned as he kicked off his boots. “And you were thinking ‘don’t drive yourself crazy’ pretty loudly.”

“I figured, why should I, when I’ve got you to do it for me?” She teased.

Myk made a motion like saluting with his lightsaber. “Well struck, Princess,” he said as he flopped down beside her on the sofa. “Oh, I love you!” he beamed as he saw the way she was dressed and the glass of whiskey on the table.

“I know,” she smiled. “You said you wanted to go on a date tonight, but it’s a bit late so I brought the date to us.”

“Did I mention that I love you?”

“I think, once,” Arie quickly kissed his cheek. For a moment, they sat in relative silence. A soft melody played on the apartment comm system, an ancient tune from their younger days when their worries involved a certain blue-skinned Imperial and the trials of raising their first son. She watched the Rogue as he leaned back with his glass and closed his eyes, that content little half-smile on his face. His dark brown hair in its constant state of rakish dishevelment, the faint scar tracing a line from his left cheek bone nearly to his jaw, the stubble that never really went away…she knew every contour, every smile line, every scar; after years of separation nearly beyond count, his image was as familiar to her as her own. She wouldn’t lose him again.

“Callista commed,” She said, breaking the silence.

“Give you the full report, did she?” Myk asked, eyes still closed.

“She knows what she’s talking about,” Arie nodded. “The girl’s got a gift. Myk, maybe you should think about…you know…”

“Taking it easy?” He finished, turning to look at her. His deep brown eyes drew her in, and she could almost see that flame that burned within him. That fire that fueled him, drove him, made her love him more and more every time she glimpsed it.

“Just until we can figure out what’s going on with you,” She amended. “I know you, Myk. You’ve always pushed the line, it’s what you do, but you always knew where that line was. What happens when you push so hard, you’re ten meters past the line and you don’t even realize it?”

“The universe explodes?”

“Myk, I’m serious.”

“I know, Princess,” He said. “Habit, I guess.”

"The point is, as you’ve often said, you can’t break the rules without knowing what they are first.”

He nodded and looked away. Uncharacteristically quiet.

“I’m sure we’ll find an answer, Myk,” Arie laid a hand on his shoulder. His eyes met hers once more, his gaze penetrating her soul. You’ll always be my hero, Rogue,” She said with a smile.

He laughed at last, and drew her to him in a hug, sighing. “Self-pity just isn’t very becoming is it?”

“I dunno,” Arie laughed. “You’re kinda cute when you pout.”

Myk-Ron joined in her laughter and kissed her before settling back into the couch. He sipped his whiskey and fished a datacard from his front vest pocket. He tossed the card to Arie, and she turned it over in her hand. It bore the seal of the joint NR military forces, her seal.

“So, Boss,” Myk-Ron said with a wink. “First, thanks for the post-mortem promotion. Second, what are my orders?”

“So lieutenant Krev did manage to catch up with you, today?”

“Yup,” Myk stifled a yawn. “Terribly boring procedural stuff, but we got most of it sorted. Just a couple minor details to attend to before I sign, though.”

“Oh?” Arie arched an eyebrow. “And what would those be?”

“Well, first,” Myk started. “If I do sign back on, I’ve gotta have some time to play with the new toys. I want to know the birds inside and out before I get back in the pilot’s seat. A lot can change in 45 years. Also, I’ve never been a full colonel before, thanks by the way.”

Arie shrugged. “It was a pre-calculated promotion based on your records and service, as well as time served on active duty before you went missing....all those promotions you passed up before the Vong Wars....”

“Right,” Myk said. “Well, what am I going to be doing? You know being a desk pilot would just kill me outright. I’d like something that kept me in the cockpit. I’ll do whatever’s needed, but…well…I’m a fighter pilot…”

“And, everyone knows that fighter pilots’ egos are fragile things,” Arie teased. “Don’t worry, Myk. The official plans are to have you in ‘reconditioning’ for the next six months. After that, well, we’ll have to see. I’m going to regret saying this, but you’re a pretty big gun to add to the arsenal, and I’m not entirely sure where to point you yet.”

Myk flashed a smile that was all teeth. Arie rolled her eyes, “Was there anything else?”

“Yeah, I’m not signing anything until you sign the _Firebird_ back over to me.”

“Nerfherder,” Arie smirked. “Just who do you think you’re married to? I did that yesterday. She’s parked in our private hangar, waiting for you.”

Myk smiled broadly, set his whiskey down, and snapped to attention. “Colonel Myk-Ron Dinn, reporting ready and able, General.”

“Oh, this will be fun,” Arie turned a predatory smile on the Rogue. “First order, soldier,” she said as she set down her wine. “Take off that shirt and get over here, now.”

“Yes, ma’am!”


	14. Chapter 14

The next morning, Myk-Ron set out to find Steffan and Xan while Arie headed for the office to see what she could do to push the time-table a bit on the bureaucratic side of things. She knew the war was coming, the Jedi knew the war was coming, hell, the senators knew the war was coming…it was a question of how soon they would be willing to coerce the money counters into funding it.

Trusting his senses more than anything, Myk-Ron Dinn followed his feet back to the Jedi Temple and the Room of a Thousand Fountains. It was there he found Steffan, perched once again upon the lip of the central fountain and playing a mournful melody upon his ancient flute. Myk let the music flow throughout him as he approached. He could feel currents and eddies in the river of the Force flowing into and through the Cataani as he played. He stopped a meter before the Master, and allowed his own mind to flow freely along the river. He caught a glimpse of warriors training, of snow and ice, and…Bane.

“He’s calling us out, isn’t he?” Myk asked as the music came to an end.

"He is," Steffan said quietly.

"I thought Jedi weren't supposed to make things personal," Myk said, seeing Steffan's feeling about it on his face.

"We don't," the Cataani answered as he gestured for Myk to take a seat. "I do. Something my father told me before I started training, 'you can't take emotion all out of your decisions and acts as a Jedi, it is impossible. You listen to your heart as well as your head. Training, experience, and sense helps you overcome the darkness.'"

"Smart man," Myk observed as he sat down.

"He was. Started teaching me a lot of things before I began training at the Academy."

"And Bane?" Myk asked him.

"The first time, it had been personal with me and another Jedi," Steffan told him. "I never did figure why, but it seems like he's wanted to take it up more."

"The other Jedi?"

"A good friend of mine from the Academy named John Olorin. Bane told us both when we stopped him last time that it was only the beginning. I have no idea why he chose to make it against the two of us more than any other. John can't either...and both of us never considered trying to track him down. Now, we're both in a mad dash to find him."

"We'll find him," Myk said with a grin. "Question is, what do we do when we find him?"

"He wants a fight," Steffan said as he got up. "We'll make him wish he'd stayed under a rock."

Myk couldn't help but grin even more.

* * *

**Arie's Office**

"General," her aide said as he stayed in the doorway.

"What have you got, Lieutenant?" Arie asked as she was downloading her latest messages to her datapad.

"Admiral Drayson is here with a visitor to see you."

"Send them in," she said as she stood up, straightening her uniform as Drayson walked in. The 'guest' was right behind him. Arie recognized him immediately. "Admiral DeSoto," Arie said as they shook hands. "I'm glad you were able to make it, though I'm not sure why you both needed to see me."

Hyram DeSoto was the senior fleet commander for Cataan's navy as well as the commander of their First Battle Group. He wore the black duty uniform jumpsuit that their personnel wore while out on deployment. He set a datapad on the desk and took a seat with Admiral Drayson. "Well, you know that New Republic Intel and our navy did a collaboration on a new fleet ship."

"The _H'kana_ -class, I know it," Arie said, remembered the general idea of the class. "I read the after-action report on Calbrea and thought that Kure exceeded the design plans in the action and then some."

"We developed them for intel gathering as well as the special operations that Kure was a part of," Drayson mentioned. "And we tasked all of the ones that we've built for both of our fleets with trying to track down the transports that we had noted leaving the Bothan's mobile suit production facility."

"And?" Arie asked, hoping for a positive answer.

"You won't believe where we found them," DeSoto told her. "Endor."

"Are you serious," she asked him. "The Bothans attempt at a sense of humor."

"If it is, I'm not laughing," Drayson told her. "Our people have gone over the data and projected that they've got more ships amassed than we thought." He pulled up the file in his datapad and handed it to Arie. It almost made her heart sink as she read over the projection.

"There's no way the New Republic can get enough ships together," she said, looking over it again. "If I shift over resources to match this, someone is going to see it as an opportunity to pull anything they want. We can't do it."

"That's the second reason I'm here," DeSoto said, smiling. "The battlegroup commanders have been in a session with the Joint Command and with His Majesty. Our fleets aren't as stretched as the New Republic's and we can bring four battlegroups into theater here."

"That'll be an improvement," Arie said as she did the math in her head. "Now we just have to figure out how to blunt the mobile suit force they've been putting together."

"The first transports from Cataan should arrive at Designer Cadre's facility tomorrow," DeSoto told her.

It completely caught Arie off guard.

"Transports full of what?" she asked

* * *

"When were you going to tell me?" Arie yelled over the noise of machinery working on the assembly of the exoframework of the _Falcon_ mobile suits while others started inserting all the different system components.

"Did you not read the messages that Steffan and I sent?" Nib yelled back over the noise, looking over the schematics. Arie took a moment to pull out her datapad and look over the messages. "When did you two decide this?"

"Yesterday," she heard behind her, causing her to turn around and see Steffan walking up to join them.

"Brother, you have been the strongest opponent of anyone having armed mobile suits," she said as she waved to the ones being assembled. "What is this?"

"A snub fighter has no chance against one of those, you know this," Steffan told her. "The Bothans had to have been building theirs for a while to have the numbers they have. We can't just throw squadrons of X-wings and Z-wings against them, they'd be overmatched."

"And what about bringing the pilots up to speed?" she asked.

"The Phoenix Squadron pilots flew them before," Nib told her. "Brink's had them in refresher sims all day. Andrea's helping training other pilots that show the right level of reaction times."

"And who's going to lead them?"

"You are," Steffan said, gesturing to the hangar space at the end of the line, where a different suit was being built. " _Archangel_ is being rebuilt as well. You know your place is going to be leading them. Andrea will be right there with you in _Blue Talon_."

 _So fast now,_ Arie couldn't help but think to herself.

"Aye, it is," Steffan said, picking up on her thought. "But we don't have much of a choice."

* * *

Xan scowled. "Yeah, keep your saber and rippers handy." Her eyebrows rose slightly, but she didn't question it, sensing how serious he was.

"Understood." She drained the rest of her mug before setting it down and hefting her helmet. "We'll have to fill Master Karrde in later, I think he was looking for us earlier...." Xan was putting on his helmet but when she said that he stopped and blinked "Further developments?"

Callista shrugged. "It's possible, though it's just a feeling I got from him, nothing concrete... and it can wait. Getting those sabers back is a priority." Xan nodded and put on his helmet before strapping up his guns. He pulled them out and checked the power levels and then once satisfied he put them back in their holsters with a flourish. It was unconscious but the sense was he trusted them as much as his saber.

Callista noticed, and smiled. While she felt confident with the rippers, she was still learning how to handle them. But she knew her saber should be a last resort. They had to keep up the guise of mercenaries as long as possible. With a sigh, she finally pulled her own helmet on. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be..."

"Right... let's get going then. Just keep your head up and remember especially when we get down to the Red Light, act like a Bounty Hunter." Callista chuckled, slightly nervous. "I'll do my best...." With one last glance around the apartment, she followed Xan into the corridor. It was still early, and the temple corridors were quiet. That was a good thing, she supposed.

They made their way out of the Temple and proceeded to an old airspeeder that Xan has procured for missions jut like this. It was a piece of junk in every respect. Callista eyed the craft warily for a moment, noticing Xan's confidence. "Are you absolutely sure that osik'la looking thing will fly...?" she asked skeptically.

"She looks like _osik_ , and that's the point but the engines are kept in top shape. And since we're going 85 levels down. It shouldn't draw attention."

Again her eyebrows rose. "Not drawing attention would be a big help..." she replied with a small smile as she slipped into the small passenger area. She had to admit, she was still nervous at the prospect of facing so many mercenary types. With a breath, she opened briefly to the Force and released the apprehension. It would only hamper her focus. She settled back, and scanned the airways carefully via her HUD and the Force, looking for anything out of place as they slowly descended to the depths of the massive city-planet. The lower they went, the darker it became as the never-ending buildings created their own canyons that swallowed the light from above.

"It's said that light unless artificial never hits the surface of Coruscant, and that's why the scum chooses the lower levels. Easier to blend into shadows then to stand out in the light."

Callista frowned. "Less chance of being discovered that way.....thank the Force for infrared and Force Sense...." she replied, trying to find something positive in all the gloom that surrounded them.

Xan nodded. "What do you feel down here _cyar'ika_. Tell me what the mood is like down here." he said as he finally reached the flow way for travelers to the Red Light.

She frowned. "Gloom..... despair, and greed..." She felt her eyes drift closed, trying to pinpoint the origin of the sensations for a moment before she pointed, unknowingly indicating the same general area Myk had been in the day before.

Xan nodded. "Hence why we remain on guard and use a more aggressive mindset down here. The weak don't last down in these depths."

" _Nayc_..." Callista said softly as she carefully scanned the promenade as they neared the area. "It looks sparse... that's generally not a good thing. But being where we are, sparse could be the norm. I'd still advise caution."

"Rotta's likely got watchers out. I sent him a comm a day back, and informed him I was coming. I suspect we'll have a slight encumbrance in our path soon."

"Is that...wise?" she asked curiously, her fingers slipping down to her holstered ripper as she scanned the promenade again. After a moment, she saw a flicker of movement off to the left of the cantina. "Xan... _there_...." she nodded towards it.

Xan nodded only slightly and sent her a mental pulse _'Follow my lead.'_ But Xan didn't pull a weapon yet. In fact, he was acting like this wasn't out of the ordinary. "I see Rotta can't even send out his lackeys properly. Should have tried this stuff closer to the Revenge. Might have had a better chance there, _schutta_."

Callista grinned nervously under her helmet. Slowly, she moved her hand away from her ripper, but still within easy reach. Six hulking figures closed around the speeder, brandishing weapons that just looked painful. They were huge... obviously from some high gravity world. One of them spoke, his voice was deep, as if from a chasm. "Rotta wants to see you. Come with us."

Xan shrugged. "Never got an escort before. Sounds like Rotta's hide is a bit twitchy." Xan looked at Callista briefly, and the sense was if he could've, he would've winked at her. He then turned back to the hulking brutes, "Lead the way." And with a gravelly tone to his voice added, "I insist."

Her eyes widened slightly as she caught onto his train of thought. ' _Xan....what skifter have you got up your sleeve...?'_ she wondered, eying the large men. They outweighed both Jedi by several kilos apiece. With a grunt that sounded more like rocks tumbling against one another, the one that had spoken turned, the rest of his men encircling the pair as they led them to a less-used side entrance to the cantina.

 _'Experience,cyar'ika.....just trust me.'_ Xan's thoughts said to her in reply, and a hint of humor accompanied it. Meanwhile, Xan's HUD was scanning the room and noting entrances and exits. "Let me guess, the fat sack is in the back rooms. Can't let the customers see him and throw up right?" The man turned back to him, his eyes glinting dangerously. "Be careful how you speak of him, Mando. If he so orders, I can crack that armor of yours and see if you are so brave without it to protect you..."

"Try me, fat boy. You forget who my employer was. And he wasn't stupid, unlike your boss." Xan said deliberately antagonizing him. It was there Callista got the first indication that Xan was not an out and out Light Sider. There was darkness, and it seemed to be something well used. But at the same time, the darkness didn't corrupt him.

Her eyes narrowed. But then her lips quirked. That reminded her so much of Myk... Mentally shaking herself, she re-focused, just as the man's fingers tightened around his weapon... but his knuckles were white. "Your employer was a _shutta_ ," he growled. "Couldn't even foil an assassination attempt against himself..." and with that, the man spit at Xan's feet. "I should kill you now and save Rotta the trouble..."

Xan acted quickly. He kicked the big man in the back of the knee hard and forced the big man down. and in a blink of an eye, Xan used the liquid cable on his gauntlet for his grappling hook to wrap around the big man's throat as he was still hunched over in pain. "You were saying?" he spit out and tightened the cable around the man's throat.

His eyes bugged out in surprise, his fingers scrabbled at the cord at his throat, which only succeeded in drawing his own blood. "It seems....I was ...mistaken...." he gurgled after a moment, his gaze burning into Xan's visor. Xan released the pressure on the cable and reeled it back into his gauntlet. " _N'jurkad sha Mando'ad, burc'ya._ (Don't mess with a Mandalorian)" he growled. "If you're done trying to play, then do your job before we get antsy."

The man grunted, eying Xan sideways before he stood and shook himself. "Fine then.." He growled, his posture transmitting anger clearly. After a moment, he pushed through the inner door, and led them down a long dim corridor before entering a large room. And there, atop a low dais was what Callista could only assume was Rotta. Xan took one look at him and growled openly. "I guess what they say is true about you. You took on your parent's fatness and have none of his smarts."

"Hhahahahah!" Rotta laughed, the deep sound vibrating in Callista's teeth. "You think you know all, Mando? I know many things you do not..."

"Oh like how to raid a couple of stupid Sith that got killed by that Jedi and how to steal something from dead men before CSF swoops in." he shrugged. "Color me unimpressed." Rotta stopped laughing at Xan's tone. "I see nothing gets past you, Mando.... So what if I did? It's too late now...."

"My employer thinks otherwise. He wants what you took. And since he hired me, I'm going to get it." Xan said, now outright lying but not revealing anything other then the image the Hutt would be used to by now. Rotta's eyes narrowed. "You will try. You forget you are in my territory now. You won't get out easily.....and who's your friend...?"

Xan looked at Callista and sent a mental pulse, _'Time for an undercover name for you.'_ He shrugged again. "Anija Ordo, second best bounty hunter and merc this side of the Maw. And one that helped me deal a little damage to your glitterstim factory on Nar Shaadaa last year. Or do you forget that." Xan was speaking half-truths now. While he did do as he claimed and it was known he worked with another Mando, the other Mando's name was still yet unknown to Rotta and the other kadjidics. And even if Rotta wanted to find the truth, the accomplice, a Marek Beviin, died in a skirmish with the Hapans on Zalori.

"Oho!" Rotta eyed Callista with a calculating glance... but it wasn't the normal one that someone would give an adversary. No, he was contemplating how she might look in a slavegirl outfit. The thought alone made him salivate. In spite of the fact that Hutts were immune to Force abilities, Callista still caught the gist of the thought and shuddered, working to keep from going for her ripper right then.

"Try it fat boy and I'll bounce your carcass off the walls of 500 Republica and the Galactic Senate before I immolate you. But then again I wouldn't need to, since she can do that herself. After all Delborimus used her too." Callista's eyebrows rose. Xan was really laying it on thick. "It seems even Delborimus can't control his women....." Rotta said, knowing it was a dig.

"Del knew the real value of the best people. Hence why he always succeeded in his lifetime, and even after his death. Something you have yet to do. Jabba's spawn or not." Xan said. "Now you going to cut the poodoo and tell me what your price is or do we need to start cracking heads?"

Rotta fell silent for a moment. "Fifty million... and you bribe the CSF to stay off my hide...."

Xan blinked. _'Fifty million? Sabers aren't THAT valuable, something's in play here.'_ he thought and shared it with Callista. He gambled. "Fifty million _me'ven_? CSF is fine, but then I could just as easily tell the Sith you still have the real thing they misplaced." Rotta laughed deeply. "What makes you think I'm not already playing both sides....?" He stopped and reached into a vat at his elbow, withdrawing a writhing creature that he popped into his mouth.

 _'That's disgusting... and I've seen all sorts of things...'_ Callista replied. _'Maybe we were right about the message cylinders...'_

Xan inwardly agreed but kept his focus on Rotta. "Playing the Sith, Rotta....unlikely. Sith deal with no one without getting what they want. Mandos have more experience in being their allies then the Kadijics do. And you have no intelligence to play both sides. That means you found something you want, right?' He gave a look to Callista and then back to Rotta. "See what I mean. All blob and no bite."

Callista chuckled, piercing Rotta with a look. "He's not cooperating. I say we take it and go. Get this job done cleanly..." She left that hanging. Xan would've smiled broadly but the helmet concealed it

"Last chance Rotta, be reasonable...or we get to have a bit more fun." However he noticed a black shadow at the rear of the building and felt something wrong, but it was hard to pinpoint.

Callista too sensed something out of place. Her hand drifted down towards her rippers. Rotta glared at them, narrowing his beady eyes. "You can _try_... but even I have my moments. You won't leave here alive!" Callista's hand closed firmly around her ripper, and for a moment, she dared to let her eyes drift closed; relying on the Force as she concentrated on the feeling of the Sith sabers. They were definitely in the room.

Xan stayed still for a moment and tried to sense if they were the real target or not. And he felt while they were considered fair game, they weren't the real target. "You really are an idiot Rotta. Lead the Sith here and now misunderstand their tricks." He kept his hands free, knowing that as much time as he could buy for them the better. Callista would need it as she wasn't as skilled in this type of mission as he was.

Callista only half-heard the conversation, for she was more concerned with finding the sabers themselves. And a moment later, she did: the vat at his elbow.... Grimacing beneath her helmet, she sent Xan a picture of it. _'That's where they are...'_

Xan made no outward reaction but now he knew how valuable Rotta thought they were. "Listen to me carefully Rotta, if you're smart you'd kill your so-called allies right now. Cause if not then they're going to kill you." Rotta barked a laugh, but it didn’t seem as confident as before. "I have my own insurance policy, Mando..." he said smugly.

"Your funeral then," Xan said simply and backed up a bit. He figured with a bit more room the Sith wouldn't take long to strike. "Bit too overconfident against Sith dontcha think?"

Callista snorted. "He obviously doesn't know what they are capable of..." She dropped her hand to her own weapons, readying herself. Then Xan felt it and nearly laughed. And it was yet time for another white lie. He growled, "I see why now....and it proves how much of an idiot you are Rotta. You think wiring the building will stop them, or us?"

Rotta's fat lips puckered for a moment, and he was silent. But Callista could sense his terror. He'd grossly underestimated both his adversaries. With a smirk, she began scanning the room carefully, keeping an eye on the back entrance. That dark feeling was still there. _'I'll go for the sabers...?'_ she suggested.

Xan mentally nodded to her and readied himself to pull his saber. "You know Rotta, not only are you stupid, not only did you miscalculate. But you never did your homework well. Too bad that you'll never know how dumb your last mistake was." And with that he touched the Force and broke the vat by Rotta's side. Springing the Sith into action. Which the first one did by immediately decapitating the Hutt gangster.

As the first sith lunged at Rotta, Callista was right beside him. As his blade followed through on the arc, going wide, she body-checked him out of the way and seized the sabers before ducking out of reach, her hand drifting for her hidden saber. She didn't pull it yet though. Xan's saber wasn't in his hands yet as he was now firing his rippers at the rushing guards. Only one Sith raced out to retreive the sabers and Xan knew it was harder deflecting slugs then it was blaster blots. "Cal'ika, engage him, I'll deal with the guards!"

With a curt nod, she pulled her saber free, deftly depositing the Sith blades into the hidden copartment. An instant later, her violet blade hissed into existence. "So... you want to play.... _hut'uun_?" she growled at him, reaching for the Force and that focus she'd had before during her training with Steffan. The Sith glowered at her and didn't say a thing. Slashing at her left flank and then reversing the strike to her right leg as a response. Clearly Dun Moch was something that this Sith wasn't that great with.

Callista grinned, exposing her teeth behind her helmet as she saw a multitude of holes in his attack. Letting out a breath, she whipped her leg back, presenting him with a profile before she leaped at him, keeping her blade close till the last instant where she swung it in a tight arc, batting his aside to bury her own in his chest. She blinked, but didn’t have time to contemplate as she pulled her blade free and stalked the next one.

Xan had his hands full clearing the guards when someone yelled, "Get the explosives charged!" Xan nearly groaned. " _Fierfek_....they still haven't learned." He tried to stretch out to the Force but the chaos in the room made it next to impossible to feel where the explosives were placed. " _Fierfek_!" He growled aloud again and just as he finished killing one more guard, yet another Sith popped up out of nowhere.

Callista was having problems of her own. Three sith were trying to corral her into a corner, and she was having none of it. It took all her concentration now just to hold them off. _'Xan! We need to go! If we stay...'_

"Do you have the sabers?" He growled as he lit his lightsaber for the first time and began to engage the assassin stalking him.

" _Elek_...!" she grunted, and the strain in her voice was apparent even through the Force, as she flicked her blade back and forth, barely holding off the Sith attacking her

"Get clear then...I'll hold the line till you do!" Xan said in between saber strikes and blocks. "GO!" Nodding wordlessly, Callista parried the next attack and thrust her blade forward, impaling one of her attackers before she scooted away from the next attack, and made for the entrance. _'You better be right behind me, Xan'ika....'_

Xan kept the sith at bay as the first of the explosions rocked the building, upsetting the balance of both the sith and him. He barely managed to keep his feet and found that the sith was more off balance then he was. Seeing his chance, he batted the sith saber aside and cut the assassin in half from right shoulder to left hip. with that finished and the second explosion shook the building, after regaining his balance yet again. he ran for the nearest door.

Callista was waiting in the shadow of an adjacent alley, and she pulled at him in the Force. "We should go before CSF gets here..... We got what we came for... unless we need to hang around...?" she asked curiously, her breathing heavy.

Xan was breathless and through gasps, he spoke "No.....CSF...can clean up this....mess for a change." He took a deep breath. "Last thing we need is to answer CSF questions."

"That's what I thought..." She took him gently by the arm and guided him to the speeder, taking the driver's eat this time as she guided the craft up and away from the scene. Back towards the faint hint of sunlight far above them.

"That was rather easy. Damn fool should've known better than to have tried to play the sith and keep the sabers close by."

"Some people never learn....even when their mistakes stare them in the face..." she said softly, focused on piloting. "But at least we got them. Maybe now we can figure out what was so _shabla_ important..."

"The Sith standing by waiting for Rotta to make that mistake....they were weak. I don't understand. Why send weak assassins after something rather big?" Callista shrugged. "Maybe it's another one of Bane's probes that Master Karrde's been talking about. I really don't know. It's obvious he's testing our responses to various things..."

"Now that we got what we needed, perhaps you can fill me in on what Steffan said to you?"

"He thinks all these events are connected somehow. As if Bane's testing our resolve...for what, I'm unsure. That's probably why he was looking for us this morning..."

"Hmmm. I suppose we'd better find out what these things hold and then find out Steffan's battle plan."

"I would agree..." she reached over with her free hand and squeezed his hand for a moment. "We'll get to the bottom of it." Xan squeezed back and smiled "I hope your right, but I get the feeling we're only at the start of things."

"You too, eh?" she said softly, falling silent for a long moment as she guided the speeder through the traffic lanes and finally to settle on the Temple's landing pad.

"Yeah....and I don't like where this is heading."

* * *

_It’s starting to come together, but we’re still behind…_

It seemed to be the theme of the entire affair as Steffan walked through the corridors of the Jedi Temple. The site he’d seen in his meditation showed Sith in armor. And it wouldn’t be hard to figure that they would be using materials that were resistant to a lightsaber. And so he had tasked the Jedi with doing the same. Several had gone through what archives were available and passed the knowledge on to others as they started to pull together the resources that would be needed.

And that was just one side of the preparation he was keeping up with.

The modifications that he and Nib had made to the mobile suits that the New Republic would use over Endor were still undergoing testing. Andrea was splitting her time as well with testing and instructing the pilots. Steffan knew that Arie would be good handling operations on that side of things….but the Jedi still didn’t know where Bane was staging. Callista had found clues when she tended to Myk…now they would soon find out for sure.

“Even without touching it, I can tell it was a Sith lightsaber,” Callista said as Steffan walked into the room. “There’s so much evil washing over this hilt…I don’t even want to know how it will feel to ‘read’ it.”

“I’m afraid it is our only option,” Steffan told her. “Malano Vos is busy with getting other things prepared and Arie likewise. You are the only other Jedi I know of personally that has the ability to do this.”

“I’d like to have an ‘anchor’ for this if I’m going to delve into this,” she answered.

“I can do that,” Xan responded, taking her hand. “I can keep you grounded, _Cal’ika_.”

“I’m going to keep my focus on you as well,” Steffan said as they all sat down around the first lightsaber hilt. “Be very careful, Callista, and begin whenever you are ready.”

Callista took several deep breaths, clearing her mind and settling in. When she was ready, she started to reach out for the hilt. The closer her hand got to it, the more evil she felt coming from it. It was almost as if it was repelling her.

“It's wanting to fight me,” she whispered, trying to focus harder.

“I feel it as well,” Steffan said. “I can sense a blood lust coming from it.”

“It has taken a lot of lives,” Callista said as she finally ran her bare fingers over it. It was so much different when she held it with her gloved hand. “Force, I’ve not felt this kind of evil before…not even with Mephisto’s blade.”

“Cal…” Xan started to say.

“Such a desire to kill. This blade is evil.”

“Focus, Callista,” Steffan guided her. “See if you can pull images."

“Old buildings. A fortress or citadel, something like that. Warrior statues....” She said as she delved into it before finally pulling her hand from the lightsaber. “I’ve seen old holos of Rhen Var. The images I’m seeing from the lightsaber look similar.”

“Rhen Var,” Steffan said, nodding as he thought about it. It was almost a week away in hyperspace. He wrapped the handle in the cloth it had been sitting on.

“What 's going to happen to it now?” she asked, relieved to have the feeling pass.

“The only thing we can do with it,” Steffan said as he backed up. “This is too dangerous for anyone.” He tossed it up into the air. A split-second after that, he drew his lightsaber. Two strikes, one to where he felt the crystal and the second crossed the power cell. The overload he caused almost vaporized the hilt. With his lightsaber returned to his belt as soon as he struck, he picked up the remaining pieces and stretched out his senses. He was right, the source was in the crystal. He had read that they would forge their own crystal, channeling the dark side through the materials.

“Such a strong feeling,” Callista said, rubbing her hand.

“You won’t need to read the other three,” Steffan told her, smiling. “I think we have enough to know where they are. You did well, Callista.”

_One hurdle over…_

* * *

As Steffan left, Callista leaned on Xan. "That took a lot out of me.... It was so ...dark..." Her voice was subdued from the effort. Xan frowned, "Did you get anything else besides the feeling from the sabers? I just think there is something more in play here. I mean the mental feelings is one thing. But a Mando likes hard evidence to go on."

Callista frowned in thought. "Well, I did find minerals common to only Rhen Var on the bodies.... Besides the mental impression, that confirms it for me." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Remind me not to do that again..... it was hard to pull away at the end..."

Xan held her close but he frowned still. "You know _Cal'ika_ , Steffan is going to be busy with the other developments. We may need to take this on ourselves."

At that, she looked up at him. "What do you mean...?"

"What I mean is....whatever these buildings are and what's held inside....we got to find it. You think Steffan, the Rogue and the _Alor'aan_ are going to be able to handle all of this?"

She tried to smile. "Xan.... they've been doing this kind of thing their whole lives... I've not faced war on this large of a scale before." She buried her face in his shoulder for a moment.

Xan growled. " _Cal'ika_...I'm serious......we could be overlooking something huge here." Xan's control was fleeting right now but a Mando not being grumpy about a war and staying out of the fight would be a new thing.

"I know, _Xan'ika_...." she sighed, running a hand through her tousled hair. "I'm still getting used to being on the front lines so much." She hugged him tight. "So, we know where they are... but why there.... why now? Is it because the Jedi are spread so thin?"

"That and add in the fact the NR has not been able to get a decent sensor array in place in the system. Add in the the fact that Rhen Var is.....an interesting locale and then it suits the Sith purpose. But I sense other factors in play here....but they're elusive."

"Maybe Steffan could shed some light on that? He was looking for us earlier, if you remember....." She shrugged, sensing that Steffan wasn't nearby, but would talk to them soon. "Anything we can do in the meantime?"

"Possibly...but I think I'd better do some digging of my own. Maybe go over Master Del's holocron again. See if I'm missing info on something. Whatever I'm feeling Cal'ika...it's bigger then even the sith."

She blanched. "Can I help at all? I'm not an archivist by any means, but I have always been good at finding things..."

"I could use the help....how's your skill in reading Huttese?"

Callista groaned. "Horrid..."

Xan chuckled. "Sorry _cyar'ika_...he was a Hutt after all. But take this as a language lesson then."

She grumbled but then grinned. "Myk would probably be smirking right about now. Figures that I would get a language lesson in the middle of all of this...." She sighed. "Alright then.... let's get to it...." She leaned up to kiss him gently before slipping her hand into his. Xan kissed her back as gently and took her hand before heading towards the Archives.

Callista's tone was thoughtful. "I never met Del... what was he like?"

Xan smiled. "He was a typical Hutt in most ways. Boisterous, intimidating, brash. But unlike for instance Rotta, his personality was more based on his love of life and knowledge. He was a good fighter as well, not many got to see him in action and none that did lived long to spread this knowledge. He was closer then a father to me."

Callista felt the wave of sorrow that passed over him then, and she squeezed his hand. "What happened to your parents.. do you know?"

Xan shook his head. "Nayc...all I know is that they died on Tattooine when I was an _adiik_ and they're deaths forced me to become a street rat in Anchorhead. If not pickpocketing...or at least attempting to pickpocket Del. I wouldn't be here now." Callista closed her eyes briefly. "I never knew what happened to mine either.... All I ever knew was growing up under Mark's teachings..... and meeting Master Karrde....and then when I went to the temple and met the general..."

Xan nodded. "Del was convinced that his apprentices should have ties to their own culture and lifestyles so he did digging on my family and he found that my father was a Mandolorian merc of some sort and was on Tattooine for some sort of business when he got killed. Del then took it upon himself to raise me not only as a Jedi but as a Mandalorian. He even went through his own initiation in order to do so."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "How do you mean?" The thought intrigued her, and she drew him to a bench that sat looking out on the gardens. "I didn't get to more intense training until near the end of my time with Mark... and into my training with Master Karrde." She squeezed his hand. "How did he go through this initiation? I know the Mandalorians aren't as widespread as they were in times past..."

Xan grinned "You forget Del's Intelligence cover....as a full fledged Hutt gangster with the credits in hi personal account to back it up. And a few years ago, a lot of Mandos were inclined to look at credit score more then honor."

She cringed. 'That's not a very comforting thought...I hope that's changed since?"

"Since _Vhett_ died it's begun to die out _elek_.....but there are rumblings." Xan said sadly.

She chewed her lip thoughtfully for a moment. "Maybe we can help change that.... if you want..." she suggested quietly as she drew him to his feet again and they continued towards the Archives.

Xan smiled. "You don't quite understand _cyar'ika_. It's not a matter of just changing thought processes. The duchess Satine tried and look at what that accomplished."

She sighed. "The people rebelled against it...."

"These rumblings suggest that Mand'alor is facing a similar challenge. And a similarly named body against him."

"The Death Watch has risen again....?" Callista drew in a breath in surprise. "Is there anything we can do to help... or would he not welcome our help...?"

"I'm not sure...it's been a few years since I've been on _Manda'yaim_. And let's face it. Mando'ade and _Jetiise_ never really got along well. Cept for Revan and the Exile." Her mouth quirked for a moment. "The Mando'ade have to face facts though. They can't remain in the shadows forever...."

Xan nodded "However that's in _Mand'alor's_ hands to choose when. not ours."

" _Elek_... just pointing out the obvious..." she said with a smile. "Let's go talk to Del, shall we...?" Xan nodded and they headed the rest of the way to the Archives silently.

* * *

“We’re just finishing up the final adjustments,” Nib told him as he walked into the hanger area a few hours later. “I’m still worried about Archangel, though.”

“Why?” Steffan asked as he looked over the mobile suit in question, which was sitting on the launch pad.

“With the upgraded systems, we haven’t tested it yet to see about parameters for the simulator.”

“What about the sims that Arie has been going through?” he asked her, looking surprised.

“I loaded up the old data we have from the first Archangel and I’m hesitant about letting Andrea or one of my test pilots in the cockpit until I run some more checks.”

“Why didn’t you say so,” Steffan said as he shrugged out of his robe. “Open the hanger doors and extend the pad.”

“Steffan, we’ve not even done a sim test yet,” Nib said as she started running after him. “You can’t be serious.”

“Load it up,” Steffan said as he grabbed the zip line to ride up to the cockpit. “Nib, I’m the best option to test her out.”

She finally looked up and nodded. Then she turned to her chief tech, “Load ‘er up, chief!”

“Okay,” Steffan said as he plugged in the headset for the communications system. “You there.”

“Set up and ready,” Nib said from the control room. “All presets and preferences loaded.”

“Alright,” Steffan said, pulling up the holographic HUD over the images from the suit’s visual cameras. “Checking control surfaces.”

 _Archangel’s_ wings were a special design idea that Steffan had had. The first one had wings that Nib designed to look almost like actual avian wings. Steffan’s idea took it a step further and had designed certain ‘feathers’ in them to contain maneuvering jets to give more precise control on movement. It was a radical new concern and Nib was concerned on just how much power it would give.

“Full diagnostics complete,” she said over the com. “We’ve got you cleared for the area where we’ve been testing the others.”

“Tell you what,” Steffan said as he brought the power systems up to full. “Do a STC check and let control know I’m going up.”

“Steffan, we’ve still got tons of data we need to get before we can….”

“Nib, sometimes you have to run before you can walk. We’re out of time.”

Archangel took off the platform with little effort at all. It almost felt like the controls were coming alive in Steffan’s hands. The mobile suit spun and moved with such ease, it was hard to believe.

I pulled the idea from Blue Talon’s wing control system. He thought as he pulled the mobile suit through the most extreme maneuvers he could think of. “Handles like a dream, Nib. You getting this?”

“Every bit of it. Sounds like you're having fun.”

Indeed, he was actually able to set the troubles aside for a moment while he was behind the controls.


	15. Chapter 15

The days were starting to blur together. Arie was in and out in a mad dash to organize the military for a strike against the Bothans, and the Sith. Pilots were being assigned and trained on Mobile Suits as fast as they came off the production line. Between meetings with the High Council, and the heads of command within the military, Arie would dash to the hanger to spend time with her own Mobile Suit, Archangel. Steffan and Nib had created a thing of beauty there, Myk had to admit, though he, himself, had yet to actually pilot one. He’d been in a simulator a few times, but he had yet to really feel at home with the controls.

His own time was sparse as it was. Fully reinstated after a solid week of paperwork and debriefings, Myk found himself in the simulator room nearly every waking hour, flying updated versions of every fighter craft the NR had to offer. The new XJ’s were a dream to work with, and he took to it like a Calamari to water. On his own time, he would check out an XJ and fly strafing runs through asteroid belts. All the while, he was busy writing up a training regimen he planned to implement once the war was over. His own role in the war was, as yet, undetermined. Arie had hinted at a possible ground assault on the Sith home world, and Myk had argued strongly for his insertion into the command crew for that particular mission. Arie had hesitated, but conceded in the end that, for the time being, it was the best place to place him. The space and air arena would be dominated by Mobile Suits, and they needed the best and brightest down on the ground to deal with the Sith.

As such, when he wasn’t trying to sleep, Myk-Ron spent hours at a time working on the Firebird. Xan had come by a few times to lend a hand, and Brink was always ready to get dirty. After a day, she was spaceworthy again. After a week, she was pacing the new Z-wings in terms of speed. After two weeks, she was the fastest, deadliest freighter in the fleet. Myk presented the specs to Arie one night in a bid to have the Bird as command transport for insertion into Rhen Var. Whistling over the numbers, Arie had agreed.

With the _Firebird_ primed and ready, Myk spent the new “free” time in the Jedi Temple training rooms. He first worked to find his limits, then to push them. He knew there had to be an answer to his current conundrum, though it eluded him. He spent nights meditating, focusing on the Force and the eddies and currents around him to try to catch a glimpse of a solution. It was out there, he could sense it.

He sparred with Steffan as often as he could, re-honing his skills against the Jedi’s most celebrated swordsman. The matches ran fifty-fifty for the most part, and Myk had the distinct feeling that he wasn’t the only one learning from each fight.

“You got in a lot of fights growing up, didn’t you?” Steffan asked one day after a particularly grueling bout.

“Actually, yeah,” Myk arched an eyebrow. “Just another part of life for an orphaned scoundrel gone smuggler. Early on, it was bullies at the outpost. Later, bar-fights over sabaac games and women and booze. But, how’d you gather that?”

“Some of your movements,” Steffan shrugged. “There’s a randomness to it that suggests the kind of chaos found in those types of scuffles, but there’s also a deeper level of understanding that lends itself to experience. You also have an acute awareness of your surroundings without relying on the Force. Handy in a cramped place, like a bar. Outside of that, it’s just a feeling I had.”

“Survival,” Myk nodded. “That’s what I called it.”

“Serves you well,” Steffan said as they continued down the halls of the Temple. Students bowed as they passed, and Masters nodded their respects. There were several moments of silence, their boot heels echoing off the stone floor before Steffan spoke again. “Are you ready for this?”

The Rogue took a moment before answering. “Yes,” He said finally. “I’ll be careful, but I can’t keep dwelling on this Force-body-mind issue. It’s been like running against an invisible wall. It’s been effecting my connection to the Force. I’ve got this seed of worry now that I’m going to push to far and end up destroying my body, and it’s causing me to doubt myself. I can’t keep doing that. I might push too far and wind up hurting myself, but doubting myself will certainly kill me.”

“There aren’t many times when I would actually condone ignoring a problem,” Steffan shook his head. “Why does it make sense when you say it?”

“You’re the reader of fighters,” Myk shrugged. “You’ve beaten me three out of the last four fights.”

“True enough,” Steffan nodded. “Though, I was rather hoping that had more to do with my skills growing than you having some kind of existential crisis.”

Myk-Ron laughed, and Steffan chuckled as they descended the steps to the Temple hangar. The _Firebird_ sat alone in the corner, Myk having moved her to the Jedi staging area. Together, they hopped a shuttle to the Palace, and talked about the war to come. They’d be meeting with Arie at the apartment on the Presidential level to pound out a finalized plan of attack to present to the High Council. Bane had not sent any new attacks or probes, but everyone, Jedi or no, could sense the coming storm. They had to be ready.

Callista and Xan would be sitting in, adding an intelligence point of view to what would probably be a long round-table discussion. Things were moving. Myk only hoped it would be soon enough.

* * *

Her black combat boots clicked on the steel floor as she paced in front of the holoboard, speaking clearly and slowly. Her BDUs were bloused properly and were distinctly different from her normal dress uniform. Arie was all business today.

Myk-Ron, Steffan, Brink, Andrea, Xan, Callista, and Colonel Maxell sat in the front row while the rest of the Phoenix Squadron and several other squadron commanders sat behind them, intently listening to the battle plans. She had explained where the groups would meet outside of Rhen Var's orbit and when they would attack, as well as when the platoon shuttles would land with the ground forces.

"Myk- you, Xan and Callista will lead the ground forces on Rhen Var for a forward assist. Put pressure on their comm towers and their reinforcements. Place thermos in their factories and get the hell outta there." Arie continued, "Andrea, you, Brink and I will lead the mobile suit forces while Colonel Maxell takes command of the bridge on my flagship. He will direct the overall Order of Battle from orbit. Steffan, it is your pick....if you want to be on the ground or in a suit, I leave that to you, brother."

"Any questions?" Arie asked. The room was quiet, but most everyone had looks of confidence on their faces. She felt confident as well. She had hand-picked the Phoenix Squadron and her team leaders for this First Strike. She knew they needed to win this one, but that many more battles were possible in the future....

* * *

They met later at Arie and Myk’s apartment. Steffan, Callista, Xan, Myk, Brink, and Arie sat in the living room on couches and recliners around the low Coshackian pine table. Myk-Ron sipped at a tumbler of whiskey, the others settling on beverages a bit less potent. It was a relaxed setting for what was, in actuality, a mini council of war. Callista gripped a mug of hot chocolate, and tried her best to hide her anxiety. Xan gave her shoulder a squeeze and she smiled up at him.

“So, that’s it then?” Myk finally spoke up. “The High Council signed off on the war?”

“More or less,” Arie explained. “The Senate agreed on a military strike against the Bothan/Anzati forces. They feel it’s a viable military threat to the New Republic. The Sith…well, unfortunately, they couldn’t be convinced of the threat they pose the government as a whole. Most still view them as a religious sect, and none are willing to sanction what they view as a ‘Holy Crusade between religious factions.’ And, they won’t accept Talon’s information as definitive evidence to the contrary.”

“Not entirely unexpected,” Steffan said calmly.

“As you mentioned Rhen Var in the briefing earlier,” Xan interjected. “Am I to assume you’ve found some lee-way?”

“I have,” Arie nodded. “Though it’s not much. Military intel has the Bothan/Anzati forces massing at Endor. We’ll be throwing all our weight there. The mobile suit units, the navy, everything. That’s where I’ll be. Meanwhile, I’ve sanctioned an ‘exploratory mission’ to the Rhen Var system to ‘ascertain a possible threat’ from there. The task force is comprised of a select group of commandoes and other ground troops. They’ll be jumping with the main task force from Coruscant, but splitting from the group once in deep space. The Jedi can be added to that ‘exploratory mission.’ Unfortunately, it’s all I can afford to send.”

“It will be enough,” Steffan nodded.

“Arie, I’ve submitted my request to be attached to the ‘exploratory mission.’ I think I’ll be best suited on the ground this time around,” Myk said. “Much as I’d love to blast a bunch of furballs out of the sky, I’m just not qualified to fly a mobile suit.”

“I’ll be leading the Jedi forces on Rhen Var,” Steffan added. “With Myk-Ron attached to the military units heading there, it will be easier to coordinate our efforts.”

“ _Blue Talon_ will be missed above Endor…” Arie said.

“Andrea will be flying _Blue Talon_ ,” Steffan replied.

Eyebrows rose at the remark, but no one spoke on the subject. If Steffan thought she was ready to handle Blue Talon, then she was.

“Well, with that decided,” Myk said, yawning. “I suppose we just need our orders.” The Rogue looked to Arie, and threw his Princess a wink. “General?”

Well, then I order you all to do your very best to return to me all in one piece...I couldn't bear to lose any of you, understood?" Arie asked, looking around the small group of family and friends. She slowly stood and exited the circle of cushioned chairs and couches that the group reclined on. She walked over to the picture window overlooking Coruscant and watched the night-time traffic whizzing past. "I've never liked going to war...." she began, "but I have always felt it was necessary if I did go....to defend the defenseless, to protect the weak.....My gut tells me that this battle at Endor is to only be a distraction for what will happen on Rhen Var....." Arie turned away from the window and looked at Brink and Myk-Ron with worried eyes. "We've come down a long path, the three of us...." she paused, trailing off.

Shaking her head and not continuing on that sad train of thought, she straightened herself up. "We leave at dawn. Have your ships and supplies ready. I will see everyone off in the morning."

Arie reached over Myk's shoulder and snagged the bottle of whiskey away from the Rogue. Quickly gulping down a couple of shots for herself, she hastily wiped her mouth and asked Steffan, "Is Ainar coming with you to Rhen Var?"

Callista's mouth quirked as she saw Arie down a good portion of the bottle before handing it back to Myk. Grabbing Xan's hand, she pulled him over to where Myk was again downing from the bottle. "Myk.... since Xan and I will be assisting you on the ground, we should talk strategy..." She knew it might not be the best time, but it was the only time they had.

Myk regarded her for a moment over the lip of the whiskey bottle before nodding. "Have a seat Calli...Xan..." His lips quirked in his trademark grin. "Well, Rhen Var's an ice ball, much like Hoth, so we've got cold-weather gear. The snow could make visibility on the ground difficult though."

Xan smirked a little. "For you perhaps, not us. Heat visibility mode is a standard option on _Cal'ika's_ and mine HUD's. Snow won't hamper body temp readings."

Myk chuckled. "Ah, I'd forgotten about that....rather handy that...." He scratched his chin in thought for a moment. "Our main goal here is to engage Bane... he's been stabbing at us off and on again, testing us.. The attack on Karrde's boy, the ambush at the _Revenge_... He wanted our attention, and now he's got it." He paused for a moment, offering the whiskey bottle with a raised eyebrow.

Xan frowned slightly. "He's got our attention alright. But this is the Sith we're talking about. Somehow this just seems too convenient." He scratched his head. "Though none of my diggings has found anything to suggest this is nothing other then what we are facing."

Callista looked at him, an eyebrow raised. "What have you felt. _Xan'ika_... maybe if you tell us it could help?" Xan sighed. "I wish I knew.....it's vague." His face fell.

Myk frowned at that. "All of us are having trouble pinpointing things where this is concerned. The only thing we can do is go in cautiously... as much as I hate to say it. Steffan knows Bane better than I do... so we'd best be on our guard. Arie wanted us to focus on their comm towers. However, that means we'll be handling a good deal of ground fighting and ground defense batteries..."

"Sith troopers are not a patch of Imperial stormtroopers but they do have one thing in the Sith advantage. Sheer numbers. They can use them as suicidal berzerkers in order to hold us off. " Xan said grinning. "Not that I mind, of course, more fun for me. What worries me is what we are looking at for the batteries. "

Myk frowned, looking to Callista. She passed him a datapad. "I did a bit of snooping of my own," she told him with a grin. "What we're looking at here is several turbolaser emplacements.... and what could be a shield generator, but I'm unsure." She pointed out various items in the small holo that floated above the 'pad. Xan definitely did not like the look of this. "It'll be tough, but if we by the Rogue enough time, he could take it down himself. Unless you're not up to the challenge old man?"

Myk scoffed at Xan with a hurt look on his face. "I live for this kind of thing.... what did you have in mind...?" he asked after a moment, offering the younger man a calculating glance over his whiskey.

"Well if they paid attention to Adequate Defenses 101, then they would have positioned these batteries to overlap and provide the bulk of the defense to the generator tower. So simply put, _Cal'ika_ and I play distraction once we get through the troop lines for you while you deal with whoever and whatever's in that tower."

Myk nodded thoughtfully. "We do have a force of Jedi at our disposal, but it's not as many as I'd like...." He frowned, glancing to Callista. "I have a feeling we may need your services and those of your padawan..."

Now it was her turn to frown. She nodded. "I'll brief Althea on the way then... I've made sure we have a good stock of medical supplies on hand."

Xan nodded. "The only thing that bugs me is that building to the west of the compound. It's undefended by....well anything."

Myk frowned, setting his whiskey glass down as he leaned closer to the hologram. Callista obliged, enlarging the image, which pixellated for a moment before stabilizing. It was still grainy though. "That's very odd..." Myk said, almost to himself. "Why would they leave such a gap in their defenses...?"

Xan scowled and speculated. "Civilian holding area? I mean Sith are evil and all, but they prefer their slaves alive."

Myk shrugged. "If we can, we'll check it out while on the ground. But our main focus should be those defense batteries."

"No chance we can get a squadron of Y-wings to soften up Bane's ball boys me'ven (huh)?" Xan quipped, smirking.

Myk frowned. "Unfortunately not, unless it's a Jedi squadron. The Senate didn't feel impressed to lend us military support in what they still see as a holy war, and not really an issue on the galactic scale."

Xan really frowned now. "What I wouldn't give to get a squadron of _Bes'uliike_ and bomb the _sheb'uy'cese_ back to the stone age!" Then he caught Myk's quizzical look "Oh right I forget, not that caught up on _Mando'a_."

Myk smirked. "Try again, this time with a translation matrix?"

Xan smirked again. "The _Bes'uliik_ or what you'd call the Basilisk, is the newest product from MandalMotors. It's a starfighter/bomber that packs twice the firepower as a TIE/D and is faster then even the Stealth X. _Sheb'uy'cese_ translates as asshats."

Myk grinned. "Looks like I'll need to brush up on my _Mando'a_.... I like the way you think....it's a shame... it would even the odds in our favor by quite a bit."

That got Callista grinning a bit too before she sobered.. " _Elek,_ it would indeed, but... I doubt Mand'alor would spare us even a flight right now.."

Xan shook his head. "Not unless Sith started to creep on to his borders. And even at that, that brings on other problems." Then he sighed. "So all we got is what we have right now, and unless your wife can pull some magic on NR COC then we're stuck."

"She already tried. Best we've got is some support from Admiral Drayson of Cataan... though I think that might be going with Arie..."

"Oh well, then we just do what we can. But this type of thing would make a good song to sing in battle if we win." He walked over and kissed his wife. "I'm going to do some last minute digging and meditating, I want to see if I can begin to piece together something to allay my fears."

Callista frowned for a moment. "Sure you don't want some company?" she could sense something was nagging at him.

Xan smiled " _Nayc Cal'ika._..right now, though a pleasant distraction you'd be. You'd be a distraction none-the-less. I can't afford it." She sighed. "Alright..... I need to go run some numbers myself, and catch up with Myk a bit. I'll see you later, _cyar'ika_ (sweetheart)...." She saw Myk's lips quirk. He knew what that meant. She leaned up on her toes to kiss Xan deeply, earning a grin from Myk.

"She's all mine, Rogue....don't you forget that!" Xan said, grinning as he departed.

Myk grinned, and called after him. "You sound worried, Xan. You forget... I'm quite happily married to that beautiful vision over there..." he pointed with his chin to where Arie was talking with Steffan. "I just wanted to talk to Callista a bit."

"That's something I need to talk to you about," Steffan told Arie as he pulled her aside from everyone else and moved over to the windows of their quarters.

"You're still thinking about what happened on Korriban," she said as she read his expression when they got to the window.

"Aye," he said as he looked out. "Whatever is bothering him, he's keeping it bottled up from me...I think especially from Kate."

Arie shook her head slightly, taking another sip of her drink. "Do I need to talk to him?"

"I'm debating the answer to that," Steffan told her as he looked to the rest of the group. "I'd say you might want to meditate on it and make your call on what you feel. Personally, I think he needs to open up to someone...and he's not doing it."

"So you want to take him with you to Rhen Var?"

"Only way I can keep an eye on him," Steffan answered. "She still flying with the Phoenix Squadron?"

Arie nodded to him. "We've set it up to where they'll be fighter support from both the Republic and Cataani groups for each mobile suit. Payne assured me he's going to put his best pilots with the Phoenix pilots."

A beep from his wristcom got his attention. It was a text-only message that soured his expression some more. "You may not want to take long to think on it." He said as he sighed and looked out again.

"Ainar?"

"It was message from Kate," he told her. "I told her she could reach me if she needed to. Can you excuse me?"

"Sure, do what you need to."

Steffan set his glass down and made the proper goodbyes to everyone in the room before he left Arie's quarters.

* * *

"How long?" he asked as Kate met him at the door.

"Half hour at least," she said. Steffan could tell that there was a trace of a tear at the corner of her eye. "Master Karrde, I don't know what I can do. He's not talking to me."

Steffan sighed heavily and placed his hand on her shoulder. "I'll see what I can do."

Ainar was sitting on the balcony at the Temple, reaching for the bottle that he had brought with him....

...only to see the bottle fly, seemingly of its own will, off the balcony and through the sky to whatever street or walk it would hit.

He turned around to the doorway and saw Steffan standing there, sullen look on his face. It didn't take him long to cross the distance between them and stand in front of his friend. Ainar just looked up at him.

"I think you've stonewalled me long enough," the Cataani said as he sat down on the permacrete in front of him. "You got to tell me what happened."

* * *

With the others gone to begin preparations, Myk, Arie, and Callista returned to the living room and sat back down on the plush furniture. Myk kicked his feet up on the low table, and Arie, just as quickly, swatted them down. The Rogue sighed in mock exasperation and sipped at his tumbler of whiskey.

“So, Calli,” Arie began. “Myk and I have been talking. We had wanted to wait to talk to you about it, but it seems the Galaxy isn’t going to let us have that time. You’ve been a wonderful student, Calli, but, more than that, you’ve become a part of our family. Myk and I would like to make that official. We’d like to adopt you.”

“Seeing as you’re an adult,” Myk chimed in. “We’re not going to be telling you how to live your life or threatening to ground you when you screw up.” He threw the young woman a wink. “But we’ll always be here for you if you need us, and by legally becoming our daughter you’ll have access to our resources should you need them.”

“Which isn’t to say you wouldn’t have those things anyway,” Arie said. “Regardless of your decision, our love for you remains the same. Adopting you is just a way to make things official, and to show the rest of the galaxy just how much we care about you.”

Tears welled up in Callista’s eyes as she looked from Arie to Myk-Ron sitting across from her on the nerf-hide sofa. “I…I don’t know what to say,” She stammered. “I’ve been without a real family for so long.”

“I’m not expecting you to start calling me ‘pops’ or anything-“ Myk began, but his words were cut off as Callista rushed them both, wrapping her arms around them. Arie and Myk enveloped the young woman in a hug, embracing her as a daughter. Myk looked to Arie above Callista’s head, and caught a single tear glistening on her cheek. She smiled back at him, the real joy in her eyes.

“Assuming that’s a ‘yes’,” Myk said, pulling back from the hug. He produced a piece of flimsy and a pen and set them on the table. “We just need your signature here to make things official.”

Trembling, Callista signed her name to the document and smiled at Arie and Myk. “Thank you both, so much!” She said, wiping tears from her eyes. “This means the world to me.”

“And you mean the world to us,” Arie smiled. “We’ll get this pushed through tonight. Why don’t you head home and try to get some sleep? You and Xan will be flying in with Myk, and Steffan in the _Firebird_ in the morning. Meet them in the Jedi Temple hanger at 0800 local.”

“I will,” Callista said, rising. She hugged them both once more before taking her leave.

Myk-Ron could sense her happiness as she left their apartment, and he cast a genuine smile at his wife. He didn’t have words, but he didn’t need them. Arie caught his gaze and nodded, a broad smile on her face. Together they relished the moment a while longer before rising themselves and putting the dishes away.

“Busy night,” Myk said as he loaded the last glass into the dishwasher.

“And it’s only just begun,” Arie sighed. “There’s so much to do before we ship out tomorrow. I don’t know if either of us will get any sleep tonight.”

“Well, the _Bird_ is prepped and ready to go, and I’ve checked out some cold-weather combat gear from our armory here on Coruscant. I’ve got enough for the joint-command crew, and a couple of extras if we should pick up any more. I think I’m mostly set. I’ve still got to fine-tune my saber and make sure it has a good charge, and I’ve also got to run a weapons check on the _Firebird_ , but I’d be prepared to not sleep for a few hours with you, first.”

“Well, the plans have been laid, and the troops have been briefed,” Arie said as she let down her hair, and started to unbutton her blouse. “I just need to run pre-flight and weapons checks on Archangel and make sure the Phoenix Squad suits are good to go. I suppose I do have a few hours to kill.”

Myk tossed his shirt on the back of the sofa, and gently slipped Arie’s blouse off as he kissed her deeply. She smiled seductively before taking his hand and leading him back to the bedroom.

* * *

Dressed in a freshly tailored black flightsuit, his Colonel tabs having been recently sewn on, Myk-Ron Dinn sat in the cockpit of his freighter as he ran through complete systems diagnostic. So far, everything was checking in the green. The old freighter hummed happily beneath him, engines running smoother than they had in a life age.

“Permission to come aboard!” A gruff voice called up the boarding ramp.

“Granted, Xan,” Myk called back. “Is Calli with you?”

“Suited up, and ready to go, Pops,” she called.

Myk could almost hear her giggle. The sounds of their _beskar_ -booted feet on the plate decking of the access hall muffled her laugh. Myk turned to stare at two fully suited Mandos entering his cockpit. He leveled a finger at the smaller of the two and shot her a mock glare. “I told you, young lady,” he said. “No calling me ‘Pops’ or ‘Old Man’ or anything of the sort.”

“You asked for it, Old Man,” Xan said, eyeing the instruments. “You adopted her.”

Myk just shrugged. “Seemed like the thing to do at the time,” he said, throwing Calli a wink.

“Joking aside,” Xan said. “What’s the order of business for the flight to Rhen Var?”

“Well, first we’re rendezvousing with the fleet for a coordinated jump out-system,” Myk explained as he looked over his orders. “Shouldn’t be longer than an hour jump. Then we split and head our separate ways. The trip to Rhen Var will take a standard day at the speed of the troop transports we’ll be heading in with. We leave hyperspace at the edge of the system before microjumping direct to Rhen Var. Once in hostile space, I’m going to have you two in the gun turrets. I assume you’ve had experience with rotational quads?”

“I’m going to pretend you didn’t ask me that,” Xan deadpanned.

“Good,” Myk smiled as he plunged on. “Steffan’s going to be co-pilot, and if Ainar shows, I’ll put him in the navigator’s chair. That pretty much makes up the whole of the command crew. I’ve got weapons and gear stowed in the crew-pit lockers for when we make planetfall.”

“How are we being inserted to take down that tower?” Calli asked.

“Oh, that’s where things get fun,” Myk grinned. “Once inside the atmosphere, I’m dropping the _Firebird_ to the deck and doing some terrain-following maneuvers to get near the Sith base of ops. Once close enough, Steffan will take the controls, and the three of us move to the cargo ramp in the back. He’s gonna do one low-altitude flyby above the tower with the ramp lowered. We go out the back while Steffan takes the Bird back to the forward LZ to rejoin the troops.”

“Um…we have jetpacks,” Xan said. “Won’t be a problem for us. How exactly are you planning on surviving the fall? A glider will just get you shot out of the air.”

“Oh, you’ll see,” Myk winked. “I’ve got to keep some secrets. Otherwise there’s no fun in it.”

“Fun,” Xan repeated. “Right.”

“Oh, here comes Steffan now,” Myk-Ron pointed out the forward viewport. They could just see the Catanni Master threading his way through crew techs and Jedi. Myriad transports sat warming up and preparing. Steffan nodded to several Masters and threw a salute to the chief tech as he wound his way toward the Firebird.

“Better go strap yourselves in,” Myk said. “Once Steffan’s on board, it won’t be long.”


End file.
